


Some place safe, I would imagine

by barbitone



Series: Voltron Fanfiction [28]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bitter Exes, Bottom Lotor (Voltron), Canon Era, Canon-Typical Violence, Emperor Sendak (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Kral Zera Aftermath, M/M, Master/Slave, Morally Ambiguous Character, Oral Sex, dominant sendak (Voltron), plots and schemes, sort of (not really)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 14:17:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 23,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18033320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbitone/pseuds/barbitone
Summary: Lotor looked down to see there was a thin gold band around his wrist, connected to the hospital bed with a deceptively delicate chain. A little too ornate for a simple prisoner, so what was he now?Nausea rose up as he realized exactly what he was, remembering what Sendak had said to him on the steps of the Kral Zera. Sendak wouldn’t dare follow through with it, would he? He wouldn’t dare think he’d get away with this, that Lotor wouldn’t rip him apart for this. But there was a gold cuff around his wrist, and the weight around his neck was a collar, it had to be.Maybe before, millenia ago, Lotor could have figured out what he was thinking, what his motivations were. But everything was different now, and he’d just have to keep his guard up as he put together the pieces.





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to the patron saint of Lodak, [Devils_Official](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devils_Official/pseuds/Devils_Official) for betaing this for me!!!
> 
> The title is from the song [In Particular by Blonde Redhead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU-kBxIy8cI)
> 
> One last note- Haxus is inexplicably alive here because I'm the captain of this fic XD Let's not even go into it, he's just around and doing grrrrr8

 

* * *

 

_Killing you would be too merciful. Once I’m emperor, I’m going to keep you as my slave!_

 

* * *

 

Everything was pain and darkness, screaming and bright flashes of light. Lotor’s left knee was a spike of agony that flared through his entire body, his left arm was on fire. He’d been injured before, in pain before- not like this.

He opened his eyes and the room swam around him sickeningly, but not so much that he couldn’t make out where he was- in a Galra medbay. He felt woozy, his thoughts slow and scattered. They’d drugged him, whoever had taken him. He tried to sit up but the fresh wave of pain that shocked through him at the attempt had him screaming.

A Galra doctor in a white mask came into view and injected something into his arm. He was too weak to fight it, and as the pain faded into shivering warmth he found he didn’t want to.

He drifted for a while, lost in memories of the Kral Zera, the battle with Sendak, the explosion, the arrival of Voltron. He’d been on the steps, he’d been so close- had he lit the flame?

No.

No, he hadn’t, he couldn’t have. Someone else was Emperor now, he knew that much for sure.

He felt numb the next time he woke, but clear-headed enough to at least look around. The medbay was empty and dimly lit with red lights- it was the middle of the sleep cycle. He had to go- he had to escape. He couldn’t be here. There was a strange weight around his neck and he raised his right hand to touch it, except he couldn’t move- he couldn’t move his hand. Lotor looked down to see there was a thin gold band around his wrist, connected to the bed with a deceptively delicate chain. A little too ornate for a simple prisoner, so what was he now?

Nausea rose up as he realized exactly what he was, remembering what Sendak had said to him on the steps. Sendak wouldn’t dare follow through with it, would he? He wouldn’t dare think he’d get away with this, that Lotor wouldn’t rip him apart for this. But there was a gold cuff around his wrist, and the weight around his neck was a collar, it had to be.

Lotor screamed with rage this time, the heat of it almost enough to burn away the pain of his arm, his leg, every aching muscle in his body. He yanked at the cuff, struggling to break the chain as doctors rushed in.

“Where is he?” he yelled. _“Where is he?”_

But Sendak was nowhere to be found. He’d always been a coward when it mattered most. They tried to keep him sedated after that and maybe it was just as well. They couldn’t put him under deep enough to shut down the ever-turning gears of his mind, working just under the surface, planning for escape and revenge and destruction. He’d burn them all before he was finished.

 

* * *

 

The next time Lotor woke he was laying on a huge bed in a bedchamber hung with red and gold tapestries all bearing Sendak’s sigil. The Imperial bedchamber, of course. He wasn’t tied down anymore. The pain wasn’t quite as sharp but it was still present, more focused now on his left arm and knee.

What had happened? The explosion, the fall, Sendak and the witch- Everything was blurred together.

Lotor looked up when he heard the door open, and the silhouette that stood there drove terror and rage through him until he was shaking. Sendak seemed bigger somehow now that Lotor was defenseless. His floating prosthetic was gone, replaced by something that more closely matched his flesh arm. But other than that he looked the same as he had at the Kral Zera; he still wore his customary red and gold armor. He could have chosen something a little more flashy now that he was Emperor, added a cape, at least. But that wasn’t his style- he was brutally practical, even now.

Sendak was quiet for a long moment, just watching him. What now?

“You’re awake,” he said and Lotor didn’t dignify that with a response. Sendak waited for a while like maybe he was expecting one, and then he tightened his hands into fists and looked away. “I’ll get your nurse,” he said before leaving.

Lotor didn’t have to wait long for a tall Galra woman to come in. She approached him nervously, as though he could do her any harm in his pathetic state.

“Prince Lotor,” she said with a deep bow. “I’ve brought your medicine, for the pain-”

Lotor knocked the small cup of pills out of her hand and she flinched. He couldn’t help feeling badly about how lost she suddenly seemed, how scared. It wasn’t her fault he was in this position, she was probably just following Sendak’s orders. Or maybe she was playing the part of an innocent, trying to win his sympathy so she could spy on him. Maybe she was secretly enjoying his degradation- she wouldn’t be the only one to want to see the halfbreed prince brought so low.

Lotor stared at her, narrowing his eyes. If she was acting, she was quite good at it. If she was here to spy on him, he may be able to use her for his own ends.

“Perhaps I could help you bathe?” she asked, wringing her hands.

Lotor tilted his head as he considered it. His skin felt tacky with dried sweat and his hair still smelled faintly of smoke and blood. But if Sendak was going to rape him, Lotor wanted it to be as unpleasant as possible for him.

Then again- what did he have to gain from defiance? It may be better to submit for now, get Sendak to lower his guard. It would be easier to get the best of him that way but the thought rankled.

“Prince Lotor?” she whispered.

Why was she calling him that? He was even more sure now that she’d been sent here to spy on him, but suddenly the prospect of being clean was too much to resist. He inclined his head in a shallow nod and she smiled, carefully stepping closer.

Her hands were shaking slightly as she pushed back the blankets and moved closer to slide her arm under his shoulders, helping him sit up. Lotor looked down at himself to see his left arm was in a sling and he was wearing a shift that went down to mid-thigh. His gaze caught on the brace around his left leg, and under it- a mess of burns and healing cuts, so many dark bruises that it was nearly all he could see. His knee was the worst of it by far, the intersecting surgical scars so hideous he wanted to vomit. What had they done to him? Implanted a tracker under his skin, some sort of device to control him? Had it been an attempt to help him or cripple him so he couldn’t escape?

But then- why the brace? If Sendak didn’t want him running off, why not just break his legs and get on with it, why give him pain killers and a nurse, any of it? Maybe before, millenia ago, Lotor could have figured out what he was thinking, what his motivations were. But everything was different now, and he’d just have to keep his guard up as he put together the pieces.

Moving was difficult even beyond the pain; his limbs felt ominously heavy and the nurse had to help him swing his legs down to the floor. He nearly screamed at the spike of pain as she moved his left leg and she pulled back with a wince.

“I could still get you the medicine?”

Lotor shook his head and she looked down, sliding under his good arm to help him stand. It was awkward- she was taller than him, broader. But it was only due to her solid form at his side and her arm around his waist that he managed to hobble his way over to the bathroom, wincing with each step.

She helped him sit on the edge of the tub as she turned on the water, checking and re-checking the temperature restlessly.

“What is your name?” Lotor asked as they waited, his voice coming out as a hoarse croak.

“Krella, my prince,” she said, not looking at him.

“Why do you call me that?” he asked flatly. “I’m no one’s prince. Not anymore.”

She shrugged and checked the temperature of the water even though she’d just done it less than a minute ago. “I’m sure you don’t remember, but you saved my family, a long time ago. My father was a Commander. He lost a battle and ended up stranded. Emperor Zarkon refused to send anyone to answer his distress signal- he said my father deserved to die for his failure. But then you came, and you took us and the surviving crew aboard your cruiser. I don’t know what you did, but afterwards we were able to return to Central Command, and I was permitted to study medicine.”

Lotor frowned as he tried to remember. There had been a time where he’d done such things, in part to prove himself a loyal Galra and win his father’s approval. He’d been a fool- showing such compassion had only made the others see him as weak and pathetic.

“Your bath is ready, sire.”

Lotor looked down at the water, catching a glimpse of his reflection. He looked wrecked- pale and exhausted, his hair lank and greasy. There was a smear of dried blood over his forehead and he raised the fingers of his right hand slowly to wipe at it.

“I need to take your brace off,” Krella said. “It will be very painful- please, are you sure you wouldn’t like the medicine?”

“No drugs,” Lotor said. “Just get on with it.”

She ducked her head and knelt before him, working carefully to undo the fastenings. Lotor gritted his teeth against the pain and focused on what she was doing, examining the way the brace was held together, how the bars and joints moved and connected. Maybe he could use it, take it apart, break off a piece and sharpen it into a weapon. It didn’t seem to be made of metal but a strange stiff polymer, black and oddly elegant. He could already tell that disassembling any part of it would make the whole thing useless, and then he wouldn’t be able to walk, much less escape.

“Your sling, too,” Krella said, moving to open the buckle where it was fastened over his shoulder. She helped him pull his shift off last, careful to maneuver it around his hurt arm while he held it close to his chest.

No matter how much he fought it he still whimpered and shook with pain as she helped him into the bath. She looked away tactfully for a few moments, pretending to fumble around for the soap while he got himself back under control.

“How long has it been since the Kral Zera?” he asked, looking down as she started washing his back.

“Two weeks, sire. You were in surgery for three days after- your knee was shattered and your arm broken in several places. It was so bad the doctors recommended amputating the limbs and replacing them with prosthetics.”

Lotor closed his eyes as he thought of it, horror filling him like ice. He could barely imagine it- waking up to find his body violated, taken apart and reassembled. He was nauseous again at the thought of how close he’d come to having his limbs replaced without his knowledge or permission, foreign objects stitched into his skin and containing only the ancients knew what- trackers, hidden switches, explosive devices.

“Why didn’t they?” he forced out.

“Emperor Sendak would not allow it.”

“I see,” Lotor said, but he didn’t. He didn’t understand any of this at all. Did Sendak do it to spare him, or make him suffer?

He was so tired of this already, of everything. It seemed like just a week ago he’d been held captive on board the Castle of Lions, unable to sleep under the glaring lights as he fought to stay focused and answer their questions. The battle with his father seemed like it had happened just yesterday, and he’d had no time to rest after, to think about what he’d done. And now there was this.

All he wanted was to be safe and rest, just for a moment, an instant. He wanted just a scant quiet minute where he didn’t have run, scheme, or fear for his life.

Krella’s hands were so gentle as she started to wash his hair and the pure kindness of it was overwhelming. Lotor turned his face away from her as tears slipped silently down his cheeks. He would allow himself to have this, to enjoy her touch as she washed his hair, to enjoy the warmth of the water around him. He would allow himself to feel despair, just for a breath, just enough to release the pressure in his heart.

And then he would get himself together, and rip them all to shreds.

 

* * *

 

Krella was the only person he saw. Thrice a day she brought him food- if the tasteless nutritional paste could really be called that. He pretended to take the pills, hiding them in one of the pillowcases instead while he tried to figure out someplace better.

He grew strong enough to hobble to the bathroom on his own at least, and searched the cabinets for anything useful. They were empty of anything except fresh linens. He searched the bedroom, too- but aside from a wardrobe containing clothes in Sendak’s size, there was nothing.

Once, he woke from a nap to hear Sendak’s unmistakable footsteps enter the room and he fought to keep his breathing even, feigning sleep. Sendak paused by the bed for a long time before reaching out to gently brush a strand of hair away from Lotor’s forehead, and then set something heavy on the nightstand beside him. Lotor waited for him to leave before opening his eyes and seeing five thick books.

He rubbed at his eyes and sat up slowly, pulling the books closer. Sendak wasn’t stupid enough to give him a datapad, so he’d left him this- _books_ , old fashioned and outdated as they were. Lotor flipped through the pages, wondering if there was anything tucked inside, some hidden message or taunt, but there was nothing. He spread the books out on the bed next to him, trying to see a pattern. An engineering book, two history books, a novel, and, bizarrely enough, a cookbook. Lotor stared at it, frowning. Was this some sort of joke?

If there was some message here he wasn’t seeing it.

The books helped keep him sane as the days stretched on monotonously. There was nothing else to do, no one to talk to other than Krella and she didn’t know much about what was happening in the Empire. He wondered what Sendak was doing, what he was thinking. Was he waiting for Lotor to heal before making use of him? Or was his plan to drive Lotor wild with boredom so he’d beg for his cock just to break the monotony of it all?

A month into his convalescence and Lotor already felt himself going stir crazy. He systematically ripped all the pages out of the cookbook and folded them into little stars just to have something to do with his hands. When that didn’t sate his restlessness he unfolded them one by one and ripped them to shreds until he was staring at a pile of confetti in his lap and strewn about the sheets. He groaned and collapsed to the bed, burying his face in the pillow to muffle his frustrated scream.

Afterwards he flopped over to his back, wallowing in the mess he’d made as he stared up at the ceiling. It was past dinner time, it had to be. Where was Krella? She usually brought him something to eat by now and he could spend a few moments talking to her, asking her about what was going on with the ship, what was happening with the war, _anything_. By this point he knew more about medbay gossip than anything of real substance and it was infuriating.

The door opened and he sat up with an eager smile only to have it slip off his face in an instant. It was Sendak standing in the doorway, taking in the tiny pieces of paper strewn all over the room.

“If you want dinner tonight, you’ll join me at the table,” Sendak said stiffly before turning and walking away, leaving the door open. The delicious smell of roasted meat wafted into the room and Lotor’s traitorous stomach growled with desire.

How long had it been since he’d had real food instead of nutritional goo? Months, at least. He wanted it, and he wanted to not be in this _room_ anymore, and he wanted to punch Sendak right in his stupid face. If he could manage two out of three that would be the closest thing he’d had to a victory in a long time.

His arm wasn’t in a sling anymore, hadn’t been for at least a week, but it was still stiff and sore. His knee was only slightly better and he gritted his teeth as he forced himself to stand, looking down at himself to realize he was still in only a thin shift that reached to mid-thigh. He’d gotten used to it by now, it didn’t exactly matter what he wore while he lay around alone in bed. But he was about to be in Sendak’s company and suddenly the garment seemed obscene.

Lotor scowled as he stared at the open door, considering going out there, considering just climbing back into bed and skipping dinner altogether. He didn’t want to give Sendak the satisfaction of- of- he wasn’t sure. Of _anything._

He made his way to the wardrobe instead, pulling out one of Sendak’s robes to drape over himself. It dwarfed him comically, but he ripped away the bottom so it didn’t go past his ankles and used the extra strips of fabric to tie up the gigantic sleeves. He was sure he looked ridiculous but it was better than going out there in just the shift.

By the time he made it to the door of the bedroom he was exhausted. He didn’t generally walk so much, stand so long. He paused, leaning heavily on the doorframe as he took in the main part of the Imperial chambers. To his right was a sitting area- a couch and a few lounge chairs arranged around a coffee table. There was a pillow and a folded up blanket on the couch, and he wondered if this was where Sendak had been sleeping while Lotor had been laying around in his bed. How curious. He frowned as he considered it, turning to take in the rest of the room.

The walls were lined with shelves bearing books and various small beautiful items, though none would make for a good weapon, and in the center there was a dining table. Sendak stood next to it, watching him. Lotor stared back, not bothering to look at the food. He could smell it from here- roasted meat and vegetables, sweet wine and fruits, a well-spiced soup and plump dumplings. It wasn’t exactly a spread fit for an Emperor but it was a feast to Lotor after the way he’d been living for the past few months and even long before that.

He took a step forward and winced as his left leg nearly buckled under his weight, stumbling a little and reaching back to steady himself against a bookshelf. Sendak’s eyebrows drew down in something like concern and he made to walk towards him but Lotor scowled and he stopped.

Lotor had to look away from him to make it to the table without incident, and he sat down heavily with a small sigh of relief. Sendak sat too, moving slowly like he was trapped in a room with a wild animal. Lotor frowned at that, at him, at everything. What was the point of this?

Surely Sendak understood that Lotor couldn’t be kept like a pampered pet, that he’d bite him at the earliest opportunity. And yet here he was, trying to win him over with his favorite dumplings, with sweets and liquor. Sendak looked away from him to start filling his plate, his motions awkward and stilted, and slowly Lotor realized what was happening-

Sendak had no idea what the hell he was doing.

He’d said he would keep Lotor as his slave. He’d taken him, collared him, sequestered him in his rooms- and now he had no idea what to do next. Lotor couldn’t help the small snort of derision that broke out of him and Sendak looked up at him in shock. There was such _confusion_ in his eyes and Lotor couldn’t bear it, he started laughing outright. It sounded mocking and cruel even to his own ears and Sendak seemed to shrivel into himself somehow.

 _“What?”_ he growled.

Lotor calmed and smirked at him, not saying anything as he reached for the plate of dumplings, taking the whole thing and dragging it over, out of Sendak’s reach. Sendak liked them too, but if he wanted any he’d have to come over to Lotor’s side of the table to get them and he knew now he wouldn’t. Despite all odds- he was _afraid._ Of what, Lotor wasn’t sure. But it was there nonetheless, some hesitation, some worry. 

Maybe it was petty but suddenly he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything. Sendak was a fool. He wouldn’t be able to keep the Empire in his grasp, much less Lotor. Not for long, at least.

Lotor picked up a dumpling and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. He ate slowly, savouring the food until he was sated. Once he was finished he wiped his mouth carefully with a napkin and leaned back in his chair.

“I’m only going to make this offer once, Sendak,” he said and watched as Sendak nearly dropped his fork. It was the first thing he’d said to him since the Kral Zera. “Take off my collar, and in return I won’t kill you.”

“No,” Sendak said, glaring at him.

Lotor shrugged and got to his feet, tipping the still mostly full plate of dumplings onto the floor before he turned and went back to the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind himself.

 

* * *

 

Sendak demanded that Lotor eat dinner with him every night after that, and Lotor wasn’t sure why. He always seemed uncomfortable with Lotor’s icy silence, with the way he watched him. Lotor found himself enjoying their dinners though. The food was always excellent, and making Sendak squirm was even more so.

Sendak tried to make conversation sometimes, and it was Lotor’s only glimpse into what was happening in the Empire. When Sendak started talking Lotor took care not to glare at him, and soon enough Sendak babbled his way through most of their dinners just to avoid it. Most of it was useless, of course, but he always let some detail slip- an upcoming meeting, a battle, a new conquest.

Aside from their dinners, Lotor was _bored._ There was only so much time he could spend reading. While Sendak was gone during the days Lotor started going out into the main room, looking through the books, the various knick-knacks on the shelves, searching for any surveillance devices or potential weapons. He listened at the door to mark the patrols of the sentries, timing how long it took until the next ones came past, figuring out which ones were Galra and which ones were drones. He had a respectable stash of pills by then too, spread between numerous hiding places throughout the quarters.

It wasn’t quite enough to poison Sendak for good, but it could knock him out long enough for Lotor to strangle him perhaps, or kill him some other way. But then what? He’d just be trapped in the Imperial quarters with the Emperor’s corpse, and there was no way that would end well for him.

He forced himself to walk until his knee was aching, forced himself to do stretches and what exercises he could manage, keeping himself as strong and limber as he could. Even so, his leg was frustratingly slow to heal, and even two months in he knew he had no hope of walking at all without the brace.

Whenever boredom overwhelmed him he destroyed something- books, the small ornamental objects lining the shelves, Sendak’s clothes. It was petty and pointless, but if Sendak was going to keep him cooped up in here he needed something to _do_ , anything.

Whenever Sendak returned to his rooms to find a mess he just sighed and ordered sentries to come in and tidy it up, not rising to the bait. He couldn’t seem to get a rise out of Sendak at all and somehow that was even worse than the boredom.

As time passed Sendak seemed to look more drawn, more tired. The weight of the Empire was dragging him down. He was a warrior, not a ruler. Soon enough he’d collapse and Lotor had to find a way out before then. He had no illusions about what would happen to him as soon as someone else took power- he’d be executed swiftly and brutally for everyone to see.

The only thing that kept him from that fate was Sendak’s foolish sentimental attachment to him. They’d left things on such bad terms millenia ago that Lotor was frankly shocked Sendak felt anything but hatred for him. But as the days wore on it became increasingly clear that Sendak was trying to win him over- as if he could be won.

It was nearly too ridiculous to believe, and yet-

Lotor walked into the main room for dinner one night to see Sendak already seated and opening a bottle of Puigian Wine. A shiver ran through him as he sat across from Sendak and watched him pour the wine into a glass and push it over to him, looking up at him meaningfully.

They’d been drinking Puigian Wine the night of their first kiss, so long ago now. They’d gotten tipsy in Lotor’s quarters and were laughing on the bed when Sendak had gotten quiet and pressed closer, kissing him. It had been clumsy and hot, a first for both of them, and it had made Lotor mindless with how much he wanted more.

They’d been drinking Puigian Wine when they made love for the first time too, after they’d snuck off to an inn planetside while the fleet was on shore leave. Sendak had paid for the room with his meager footsoldier salary and they’d laughed as they opened the bottle of wine they’d brought with them, happy and flushed with the feeling of getting away with something.

They hadn’t gotten away with it, of course. They’d been caught coming back and brought before Zarkon to hand down punishment for their disobedience. Lotor’s punishment had been twenty lashes, and Sendak’s punishment had been to be the one to administer them. He’d balked at his task like a coward, so Zarkon had whipped Lotor himself and added ten more strokes for good measure.

They’d been together for a long while after, decades. But it was somehow sour, rotting at its core, and in retrospect Lotor knew that was when everything had started to go wrong.

There was no way the choice of tonight’s wine had been an accident, and Lotor wondered what message Sendak was trying to send. Was he courting him? That was ridiculous. All this did was remind Lotor about everything that had gone wrong, every way Sendak had failed him.

He reached for the glass and stared Sendak in the eyes as he slowly and purposefully pushed it off the table. Sendak flinched as it shattered on the floor, his nostrils flaring as he jerked to his feet. Lotor watched curiously as Sendak tightened his hands into fists and then let go, turning from the table to grab a bottle of whiskey and a glass out of a cabinet before walking over to sit on the couch. He poured out whiskey for himself and took a deep swig before setting it to the coffee table with a loud clang and pulling out his datapad.

Lotor glared at the back of his head, irrationally angry at being ignored. He was tired of this, of silence, of nothing happening. He bent to pick up the largest shard of glass and stood, walking over to the couch.

Sendak looked up at him in surprise and Lotor didn’t wait to slash at his throat.

Sendak dropped the datapad so he could grab Lotor by the wrist, but Lotor just slapped him with his other hand instead. Sendak snarled in anger before grabbing his other hand too and pushing him down to the couch. Lotor kneed him in the balls as hard as he could, though it didn’t do much good while Sendak was wearing his armor. He roared with anger all the same, bearing down on him with his full strength.

They struggled for a while, falling from the couch with a thump. Lotor had lost the piece of glass long ago but he still strained to scratch Sendak, to bite him at least. Sendak was no less wild and he flipped them over carelessly so Lotor was under him. For a second his full weight came down on Lotor’s left knee and he _screamed_ in agony.

Sendak jerked back in shock and Lotor took advantage of his distraction to backhand him over the face before Sendak grabbed his wrists, pinning his hands above his head.

Lotor stilled, breathing hard as Sendak stared down at him, suddenly at a loss.

 _“Well?”_ Lotor snarled. “What are you waiting for? Or do you need the witch’s permission to rape me?”

For a second there was silence and then Sendak moved back, breathing hard.

“Go on,” Lotor said with a vicious smirk. “Run and ask- I’ll wait here like a good little slave. Maybe she’ll let you borrow your balls for a while before she demands them back.”

“Why are you _like this?”_ Sendak breathed out, backing away from him like _Lotor_ was the one who’d done something wrong.

“You should know better than anyone,” Lotor hissed, fighting to sit up even as he was shaking so hard it was a struggle to keep his teeth from chattering.

Sendak stood and backed away, turning to head towards the door.

“That’s right!” Lotor yelled after him. “Leave! That’s what you’re good at, you coward!”

Once he was gone Lotor collapsed to the floor again, trying to catch his breath. He pushed his hair out of his face with a shaky hand before letting it fall to the ground, and then he sat up and grabbed the datapad Sendak had dropped.

He forced himself to focus as he hacked it- although that was too generous a word for what he did. Sendak was still using the same password he’d used all those years ago and unlocking the device was practically child’s play. Lotor opened the requisition system to put in a request for a datapad, to be delivered tomorrow afternoon while Sendak was out.

With that much finished he pulled himself up to the couch with a wince and grabbed Sendak’s discarded glass of whiskey, drinking deeply as he went through the recent files. There were field reports, unfinished battle plans, a draft of a message to Lieutenant Haxus, and then another folder, just titled _“L”_ that Sendak opened frequently, at least once per day. Lotor opened it to see a collection of neutrally-named image and text files with a few video feeds thrown in.

Just as he was about to open the first one the door opened and Sendak walked in, his eyes flashing with anger but his ears drooping with something like embarrassment. Lotor glared up at him as he walked over and snatched the datapad out of his hands.

Lotor hurled the glass of whiskey at his head but he ducked and it shattered against the opposite wall with a satisfying crash. Sendak bared his teeth at him in a snarl before turning to storm out again.

The wave of emotion that rolled through him was too powerful to categorize and he gasped as he stared at the door. It turned into a chuckle, and then a laugh, and then for some reason he was sobbing as he curled up and pressed his face into the couch cushions.

 

* * *

 

Lotor woke to a soft gasp and opened his eyes blearily to see Krella’s shocked expression as she took in the shards of glass on the floor, the cold untouched dinner on the table, the way the furniture was shifted out of place.

“Sire-”

“It’s fine,” Lotor interrupted her, sitting up on the couch. “Everything’s fine.”

“Please sire, let’s- let’s get you cleaned up.”

Lotor nodded as he let her help him stand. His knee was still sore from last night but it felt better after a hot bath. He ate breakfast and waited around in a bit of a stupor until she came back with his lunch.

A few hours later a sentry arrived with his delivery and he told it to stop before it left the room.

“Open your access panel,” he ordered.

It obeyed and Lotor grinned. The sentries were programmed to obey members of the royal family above all others, and clearly no one had thought to revoke his access.

He made sure no one would be able to override his commands, and then wrote a simple virus that would spread to the other sentries until they were all under his control. It would take a few weeks at least, but he had time. He sent the sentry away and curled up on the couch again with the bottle of whiskey and his new datapad as he perused the ship’s systems and went over all of Sendak’s orders since he’d become Emperor.

Sendak was blunt and brutal, undiplomatic. Lotor could tell already by the troop movements and the way the other Commanders responded to his orders that insurrection was brewing. Sendak was doing his best but this wasn’t his forte, and the others were starting to notice.

Lotor wondered how much he could do without Sendak realizing and decided to be cautious, to wait- for now. He hid the datapad and picked out a decent book, reading for a while as he drank whiskey.

By dinner time it was only Krella and the tasteless goo again and Lotor wondered about Sendak, when he’d be back.

He was gone for another four days and then he returned looking like he hadn’t slept at all in that time. There was a healing cut over his face and he walked with a slight limp and for some reason Lotor was filled with rage and terror. He hurled his book at Sendak but he didn’t even flinch as it hit him in the chest and flopped to the ground.

Sendak sighed and bent to pick it up, flipping through the pages slowly. “Are you finished?” he asked.

“No, give it back,” Lotor said, holding out his hand.

“I didn’t mean with the book,” Sendak said as he handed it over. “How is your leg?”

“Fine,” Lotor said, watching suspiciously as Sendak walked over to sit in one of the lounge chairs.

“I didn’t-” Sendak broke off and sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and dropping his face into his hands. “It wasn’t my choice to leave. And I would have come back, but that was when I was injured, when I lost my arm. It wasn’t a _choice_ , Lotor. None of it was my choice.”

Lotor shivered and looked away. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” he said. “It’s over now regardless.”

 _“Lotor,”_ Sendak said, looking up. It sounded like a plea and Lotor tightened his hands into fists.

“What do you want from me?” he demanded. “Forgiveness? I can’t. I won’t.”

“I wasn’t the only one in the wrong,” Sendak said quietly.

Lotor scowled and looked away. “Why aren’t we on the Command Ship?” he asked. “It’s far superior to this cruiser, more fitting as the Emperor’s flagship-”

“Don’t act like you’re suggesting it for my benefit,” Sendak said, his voice growing harsh. “I know you built it- it’s probably full of all kinds of nasty surprises only you can take advantage of.”

Well. That much was certainly true. Lotor pursed his lips angrily at being caught out. He hadn’t realized Sendak had known about that, that anyone did. He’d built it at his colony as a gift in honor of his father’s impending visit. Zarkon had exiled him but he’d still seen fit to make use of the ship, no doubt without making it public where exactly it had come from. Zarkon had always seen fit to make use of him while denying his achievements.

“You haven’t changed at all, have you,” Sendak said. “You’re still a liar.”

Lotor got to his feet unsteadily. “Better a liar than a coward.”

He wanted to throw the book at Sendak again but he was suddenly exhausted. His knee hurt, his left arm was stiff, but the worst pain was the ache in his heart.

 

* * *

 

They didn’t talk much after that, and maybe it was just as well. Lotor kept himself occupied with battle reports and troop movements. Sendak had retaken most of the territory lost to the Paladins and their Coalition but he was being unusually gentle with their conquered subjects.

He changed the policy on quintessence harvesting, moving away from Haggar and Zarkon’s brutal draining of planets and towards the sustainable methods Lotor had developed at his colony. That part was the most surprising. He’d written reports about everything he’d done of course, sending them dutifully off to Central Command every month where he was sure Zarkon dropped them directly into the garbage chute. He hadn’t thought anyone even had access to them, much less bothered to _read_ them.

His method was effective though understandably slow, and as the flow of quintessence slowed down the Commanders grew restless. Sendak made sure to distribute the available supply with brutal efficiency, not showing any favoritism. It was a mistake- he thought he was being fair but in truth he was leaving his Commanders with no idea where they stood in relation to him or to each other. Uncertainty was dangerous, uncertainty in the ranks would get Sendak killed.

He changed the policy on harvesting Balmera crystals as well, and the supply of fresh crystals began to dwindle. While Lotor appreciated the sentiment, he feared Sendak was driving them right off the cliff of an energy crisis and up to the gates of civil war.

There wasn’t much he could do about that at the moment. He wasn’t even supposed to know about any of it and he couldn’t bring it up without making Sendak suspicious. And even if he could- he had no definitive answers. Maybe he could still get his Sincline ships working like he’d planned and siphon pure quintessence from the rift. Maybe he could find a way to conserve quintessence throughout the Empire or replenish the Balmeras. Maybe he could orchestrate a rebellion to cull Galra ranks and drop the energy demand so it more closely matched the supply.

He had no way of doing any of those things, not while he was captive. Or at least- not without Sendak’s Imperial access codes.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps in the hall and had to scramble to hide his datapad. It was mid-afternoon, Sendak was hardly ever here at that time.

By the time the door opened Lotor had managed to arrange himself into some casual pose on the couch, holding a book as he looked up. Sendak walked in, flanked by two sentries carrying a suit of armor in red and gold.

“Put it on,” Sendak ordered.

“If you want me in armor, give me my own,” Lotor said coldly.

“I can’t have my- my- _slave_ wearing his own colors.”

“The only way I’ll wear _your_ colors is if the undertaker dresses my corpse in them for my funeral,” Lotor hissed in answer.

“Fine!” Sendak yelled, throwing his hands up. “Do whatever you want, just like always! I couldn’t care less- go naked! But we’re leaving in an hour either way!”

“ _Fine_ ,” Lotor said, narrowing his eyes. He didn’t take the armor but he took the black padded undersuit, going back into the bedroom so he could get dressed. It was a nightmare- he wished Krella was there to help him with the brace, with his leg, but he wasn’t about to ask for her now.

He powered through the pain with the help of the sheer spite that filled him, and in the end he had ten minutes to spare as he went back out into the main room.

“Let’s go,” Sendak said, jerking his head towards the door.

It was the first time Lotor had left the rooms in months. He walked with as much dignity as he could muster but still it was difficult not to scowl as soldiers stopped and whispered when they passed. Lotor considered if maybe he should be making more of an effort to look cowed. His fate was tied with Sendak’s now. Having a disobedient slave would make him look weak and encourage others to challenge him. If anyone succeeded in taking the throne before Lotor was finished consolidating his power he could easily end up dead.

Somehow, even knowing it was in both their best interests, Lotor couldn’t bring himself to do it. He settled on maintaining a blank expression as he looked straight ahead, ignoring the whispers of Sendak’s crew.

Sendak took him to the Imperial box in the arena and Lotor frowned as he walked over to the railing. Were they about to watch a match? _Why?_

But then Sendak raised his arm to signal the beginning of whatever was about to happen and a gong rang out. Lotor’s eyes widened as he watched four soldiers lead out a shackled prisoner- _Haggar._ They forced her to kneel in the sand while Sendak recited her crimes, his voice booming through the arena and yet somehow not loud enough to break through the static filling Lotor’s ears.

She yelled something and tried to struggle, but Sendak was bringing his hand down in time with the executioner’s axe and Lotor gasped in shock as he watched her body sagging and her head falling to the sand.

It was nearly too much to believe- Haggar was _dead._ She’d never hurt him again, never spy on him again. He’d never have to look at her cold eyes, her cruel smile, he’d never have to be afraid of her. She was gone.

He couldn’t look away from the blood until Sendak’s hand wrapped around his throat from behind, pulling his back flush against Sendak’s chest.

“I’m nobody’s puppet,” Sendak growled directly into his ear and Lotor closed his eyes as he shivered, biting his lip so he wouldn’t gasp. “Not hers, not his- and not _yours_.”

Sendak pulled away, leaving Lotor swaying on his feet.

 _“Sit,”_ he said, and Lotor sat, still in a stupor as sentries brought food and wine and arranged it all on the tables around them.

The real matches started, seasoned warriors and gladiators fighting until first blood, a true showing of glorious skill.

Slowly the shock faded and Lotor nibbled on some fruit and tried not to smile as he contemplated his new reality. A reality without Haggar, without Zarkon, and soon enough- without Sendak.

Although- maybe he wouldn’t kill Sendak when he left, maybe he’d leave him alive and let him rule for as long as he could manage it. He deserved as much after the sublime gift he’d given him- Haggar’s head.

“I’d like to return to our rooms now,” Lotor said. “After that walk, my knee is giving me some trouble.”

Sendak looked over at him with concern. “I’ll escort you back.”

“No need,” Lotor said, setting his hand over Sendak’s forearm. The Galra froze in shock, looking down at where Lotor was touching him like he couldn’t quite believe it. “Enjoy your match, send some sentries to escort me.”

Sendak scowled and pulled back. “I’m not giving you unsupervised access to sentries, I’m not a complete fool. Guards!”

Lotor inclined his head respectfully as he stood. Two Galra guards entered the Imperial box and Sendak frowned at them. “Perhaps two more,” he said.

“You honor me, sire,” Lotor said with a faint smirk, “to think that two guards would be unable to handle me even in my current state.” He motioned to the brace pointedly.

“Fine,” Sendak said, suddenly sounding exhausted. “Take him back to my rooms.”

“Vrepit Sa, Emperor Sendak,” they saluted respectfully. One of them took Lotor by the arm and Sendak jerked to his feet.

“I said take him back to my rooms, I didn’t say you could _touch_ him!”

The soldier let go hurriedly and Sendak glowered at him for another moment before sitting back down. “Go,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.

“Yes, Emperor Sendak,” the soldiers muttered before stepping apart to let Lotor pass.

They trailed behind him silently for a while, longer than Lotor expected, before they started talking about him like he wasn’t there. He was used to disparaging comments, used to letting them slide off him. It felt different now. Everything felt different now. He found himself growing angry as he listened to them-

“-he’s so scrawny,” the first guard, the one who’d touched him, said, “and strange-looking. Surely the Emperor has better options.”

“He’s pathetic, why would Emperor Sendak lower himself to fucking someone like _that_?”

“Anyone would be honored to receive his affection, and he choses a halfbreed? It’s unseemly.”

They laughed and Lotor stopped abruptly in the hall. He turned before they could react and slammed the heel of his hand into the first soldier’s face, breaking his nose with brutal efficiency. As he fell with a yelp Lotor elbowed the second in the sternum and hooked the back of his ankle with his foot when he stumbled, sending him crashing to the floor. They stared at him with shock and fear and flinched when he took a step closer.

“He chose me because I’m a great lay, you stupid fucks,” Lotor hissed. “You’d be lucky to sleep with someone who sucks cock half as well as I do, and if I hear you disrespecting your Emperor again I'll rip out your tongues.”

He kicked the first soldier in the balls for good measure before whirling around and stalking away. By the time he returned to the rooms he felt better, and even laughed a little as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. That was the most fun he’d had since Thayserix.

Sendak would probably be gone for hours yet, but Lotor pulled up the security feeds on his datapad anyway, just to be sure, before retrieving his stash of pills. He used the bottom of another glass to crush them into a fine powder over a piece of paper, and poured it into the whisky bottle, swirling it every so often to make sure it dissolved without a trace. It was slow work but almost meditative in its monotony, and soon enough he was finished with time to spare.

After returning the whiskey to its place and clearing away all traces of what he’d done, he picked out a novel he’d been meaning to read and settled on the couch with his glass, sipping on it slowly. He smiled at Sendak when he returned, and Sendak paused.

“Thank you,” Lotor said, “for today. For what you did.”

“I didn’t do it for you. Not- not just for you, at least.”

“I know.”

“What are you doing?” Sendak asked.

“Reading,” he answered, still smiling. “Relaxing,” he said as he raised his glass. “Join me if you like.” He returned to his book even though his attention was still on Sendak. He turned a page demonstrably as Sendak walked over to the cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. When he returned to the couch he paused like maybe this was all too good to be true.

“Would you like me to leave?” Lotor asked.

“No,” Sendak said, and finally sat down.

Lotor returned to his novel for a while, waiting until Sendak’s glass was half empty before he shut the book decisively and stood.

“I’m feeling unusually tired,” he said. “I’m going to retire. Good night, Sendak.”

“Good night,” Sendak said quietly.

The next few hours seemed to stretch on for ages, but finally he decided it was safe and walked back out into the main room. “Sendak?” he asked but there was no answer, Sendak was out cold as he sat slumped over on the couch.

Lotor almost felt bad as he paired Sendak’s datapad with his own, copying all his files and access codes and making sure all of his future correspondences went to Lotor’s device as well as his own. Afterwards he paused, and some thread of worn and faded fondness had him crouching down and running his fingers gently over the edge of Sendak’s ear.

He shuddered and closed his eyes, pulling his hand back as if he’d been burned. He’d forgotten how soft Sendak’s fur was, how he let off heat like a furnace. He was so much older now, scarred and run ragged, but he was still powerful and handsome, maybe even more than before. The soldiers had been right about one thing at least, anyone would be honored to receive Sendak’s affection. He was the paragon of Galra beauty. How could someone so strong, so brave, so _handsome_ be so incredibly stupid as to love someone like _Lotor?_

But Sendak had always been headstrong, ruled more by emotion than sense, at least when it came to him.

He wasn’t quite sure what he was doing as he pulled Sendak down to lie fully on the couch, struggling a little with his bulk as he pulled his legs up. He was careful as he lifted Sendak’s head so he could slide the pillow under him, as he tucked the thin blanket around him.

It was difficult not to linger, but Lotor forced himself to move, emptying the remains of the whiskey from the bottle and from Sendak’s glass before returning to arrange them on the coffee table. He picked out a second bottle and poured some of that out too before setting it down on the floor by the couch. With any luck, in the morning Sendak would simply assume he’d just drank more than he’d intended instead of growing suspicious.

At this point it wouldn’t really matter if he did. The virus had spread through all the sentries in the fleet and was starting to move through the other fleets and the colonies as well. And now that Lotor had Sendak’s Imperial access codes he could do anything he wanted, send out any order he pleased and it would appear to be coming from the Emperor himself.

He could take the Empire out from Sendak’s feet at any moment now, could destroy it or use it as he liked. He could kill Sendak at any moment now too, and he didn’t even know it. It would be his own fault if Lotor went through with it. He should have known better than to try and keep him like a pet on a leash. He should have known better than to try and win him over with kindness and care. He should have known it wouldn’t work again.

For some reason it was so difficult to look away from Sendak’s sleeping face, but Lotor dragged himself away and returned to the bedroom, locking the door behind himself and curling up in bed as he finally opened the folder that had caught his eye before- the folder titled _“L”._

He already knew what he’d find inside but it still felt like a punch to the gut as he opened the first image file to see his own face- young and blushing, looking up with such an open expression of happiness that Lotor nearly cried at seeing it. Had he really ever been that happy? It seemed impossible now, but here was the proof of it and it was devastating.

In the next picture the two of them were together and Sendak seemed happy too. Lotor couldn’t help running his fingertips over the screen, over Sendak’s now missing eye, his arm.

He sighed heavily as he closed the image, and didn’t look at any of the others. He read the text files instead, and it was every note and message Lotor had ever sent him, like a chronicle of a love affair blooming and withering before bursting into flames. The notes started off short and to the point, but slowly they got longer, more roundabout, more casual and personal. There were a few outright love letters, and then it all started to shift, growing distant and terse. For a while there was nothing, a gap of over a year in the time stamps.

Then came the others, Lotor’s increasingly desperate pleas for Sendak to return to Central Command, to turn his back on the campaign he’d been sent on, to come back for him, help him, save him. There were lurid descriptions of what was happening, what Zarkon and Haggar were doing to him, what Lotor was so afraid of.

As he read he was shocked to realize how much of it was lies. Enough of it was true though, and he was angry all over again that Sendak hadn’t come for him. He’d promised to protect him, promised to-

Lotor exhaled sharply, closing his eyes. It didn’t matter anymore, it was all in the past.

He knew he should stop, put it away, but he opened the last file anyway and read the last letter he’d ever sent. It was an angry diatribe full of wild accusations and half-meant insults, dripping with rage and poison with every word. He’d been drunk and woozy from the pain of another whipping when he wrote it, and even to this day sending it was perhaps the cruelest thing he’d ever done.

Every word was chosen specifically to cut Sendak down to the bone, rip his heart out, utterly crush and destroy him.

Lotor hadn’t been surprised when Sendak said he’d keep him as his slave. The only thing he was surprised about was that somehow Sendak still loved him.

 

* * *

 

“Sendak?” Lotor said, feigning confusion as he went out into the main room for breakfast and saw Sendak sitting at the dining table, resting his head in his palm. “You’re usually gone by now.”

The table was set with an impressive array of breakfast foods, most of them greasy and heavy on meat and bread- Sendak’s go to hangover food.

“I’m taking the day off,” he muttered.

“Can an Emperor really afford such a thing?” Lotor asked mildly.

Sendak made some kind of muffled noncommittal sound as he rubbed at his temples before looking up, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Did you…?”

Lotor sat down across from him, tilting his head to the side. “Did I what?”

Sendak licked his lips and looked down. “Never mind,” he muttered.

“I’m curious, Sendak,” Lotor started as he fixed himself a cup of tea and reached for a piece of toast, buttering it slowly before covering it with sweet jam. “Would you mind telling me what’s become of my Generals and my Sincline ships?”

He knew very well already, the women were locked up in a cell and two of his Sincline ships were in the hangar while the third was presumably still with the Paladins.

“Your Generals are in the brig,” Sendak said. “They were captured with the witch. I was going to execute them, but I didn’t want to upset-” Sendak broke off before looking up at Lotor like he was afraid he’d said more than he should have. “I decided to wait,” he finished lamely. “I have your ships, as well.”

“All three of them? That’s excellent news.”

Sendak frowned. “...Three? There’s- we have… two.”

Lotor took a careful bite of toast, looking away to half-hide his pointed wince. “Well, I suppose I’ve cowed Voltron with just the two ships, before-”

“Lotor,” Sendak bit out, “I’m too hungover to play these games. Just say what you mean, tell me what you want.”

Lotor grinned at him widely. “I think we both understand that Voltron poses a serious threat. My Sincline ships are the only things powerful enough challenge it, and my Generals and I are the only ones that can pilot them. I doubt you’ll let me out of your sight- but you have my Generals in your grasp and you can get the third ship back easily enough. Afterwards Voltron won’t be able to stand against you.”

“Why are you helping me?” Sendak asked with suspicion.

“I quite enjoy not dying,” Lotor said with an easy shrug. “If you’re keeping me here for the foreseeable future, I’d like to know that I’m protected from our enemies.”

“Fine,” Sendak said at last. “What do you want me to do?”

“Bring my Generals into the fold, give them a mission to allow them to prove themselves. Send Axca and Ezor to retrieve the third ship.”

Sendak scowled, looking away. “They betrayed you.”

“So you’d keep them in the brig on my account?” Lotor asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No!” Sendak said. “I just- I meant- they were loyal to you, and then they weren’t. I- why would I want to bring someone like that into my service?”

Lotor smiled sadly as he looked down. “They’re halfbreeds, they’re used to being… overlooked, discarded, in danger. They’ll be loyal to anyone who can protect them, and you can do that easily while you’re Emperor. And if you’re not- you’ll have bigger problems to worry about than the loyalty of three halfbreeds.”

Sendak was silent for a long time, pushing his food around on his plate. “How do I know this Axca and Ezor won’t just run?”

“Ezor will never leave Zethrid,” Lotor said firmly. “They’re in love, you know how strong that bond can be. Ezor will not allow Acxa to leave either, not if it stands to put Zethrid at risk.”

“I’ll think on it,” Sendak said slowly.

“See that you do,” Lotor replied, taking a sip of tea. He hadn’t been lying exactly, but the full truth was that he had a sentimental attachment to the lead ship, his own ship. When he left, he wanted to take it with him.

 

* * *

 

Lotor monitored the state of the Empire closely, watching as Sendak finally sent Acxa and Ezor on their mission. They brought back his ship and he felt warm satisfaction filling him. He could leave at any time now, but he found himself waiting for- something.

Krella deemed it was time for him to start strengthening his left leg and he spent hours at a time walking without his brace before the pain grew too strong and he found he had to put it back on. Now that he was in control, his so-called enslavement felt almost like a vacation of sorts.

He caught up on his sleep and his reading, enjoyed his dinners with Sendak, sharing some of his own stories now instead of just letting Sendak do all the talking. Sometimes he even dared to… nudge things along, sending minor Imperial orders here and there to avert outright disaster.

He changed the arrival time of Trugg’s fleet to a supply station so she wouldn’t run into Ladnok, making it look like a scheduling error. They were bitter enemies and it would have been sure to start an incident. He led a few weapon shipments astray to keep Janka busy and curtail his scheming. He arranged for a minor malfunction to befall Ranvieg’s base that quickly turned into a chain reaction, destroying the “secret” facility where he was developing weapons outside the knowledge of the Empire- Sendak’s knowledge, at least.

Sometimes he and Sendak still argued, but it seemed familiar now, less poisonous and cruel.

Sendak was there when Krella finally told him he didn’t need the brace or her any longer, smiling oddly as he watched her leave.

The following night when Lotor went out to the main room for dinner he was surprised to find Sendak missing. The dining table was empty except for a sword, _Lotor’s sword,_ and-

Lotor’s eyes widened as he stepped closer, running his fingers carefully over the small golden key.

He had to sit down before he gathered the strength to pick it up and bring it to his neck, opening the collar. He set it carefully down on the table before slipping the key into his pocket and picking up the sword, standing slowly.

The main door to the room wasn’t locked and Lotor stepped out into the quiet hallway, his heart racing as he listened for patrols. There was no one, nothing. He moved carefully, taking his time as he went down to the hangar, down to his ship. He was about to climb up into the cockpit when he heard hushed voices from across the cavernous chamber and paused, listening.

“Relax,” someone hissed. “They’ll end it quick.”

“What if they know it’s us?” a second voice whispered back.

“Don’t be such a coward! What will it matter once it’s over? There will be another Kral Zera, and-”

Lotor’s blood ran cold. It was an assassination attempt, it had to be. He considered leaving anyway, just going, and- and this wasn’t his concern. What did he care if they wiped Sendak away? Wasn’t that what he wanted?

There was nothing stopping him now, he could leave just like he’d planned, and- and-

He typed in a quick command on his datapad to order a dozen sentries to converge on the hangar and take the soldiers prisoner. He could deal with them himself but he didn’t know how much time he had, if the plan was already in motion.

Lotor sprinted back to the Imperial chambers, his heart thudding as he fought not to think, not to doubt himself.

“Sendak,” he gasped as he burst through the door, looking around wildly until he saw Sendak laying on the couch. “Sendak?”

He was afraid as he scrambled over, dropping to his knees to grab Sendak by the shoulders. He was still breathing, at least. There was a half empty bottle of whiskey on the floor and he was holding Lotor’s golden collar clutched in his right hand over his chest.

“Sendak!” Lotor yelled.

He frowned but didn’t wake and Lotor wanted to rage at him, at how foolish he was acting, but there wasn’t time, there were footsteps approaching in the hallway.

 _“Fuck,”_ he hissed as he looked up, and then the door opened and five Galra walked in.

“Shit,” one of them said as he caught sight of Lotor kneeling beside the couch.

Lotor let go of his sword, sliding it carefully under the couch before bringing his hands up in surrender, widening his eyes with mock fear. “Please,” he said plaintively. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“Get out of the way, stupid halfbreed whore-” one of them said with a laugh. “We’ll deal with you later.”

Lotor backed away to the wall before standing, trying to make a show of being afraid until they lost interest in him.

They advanced on Sendak as Lotor slipped behind them, and then he lunged, grabbing the one closest to him and breaking his neck before any of the others realized what had happened. He drew the dead man’s sword and ran another through before they finally thought to turn, but it was too late.

He beheaded the third as he went to draw his weapon, and the fourth only put up a minor fight. The fifth assassin was a bit of a bother, he was afraid and desperate, wild as he lashed out. But that didn’t matter, Lotor was better than him in every way and soon enough he was dead and Lotor threw the blade to the ground before pushing his hair out of his face.

 _“Sendak,”_ he hissed angrily, but Sendak was still out cold and Lotor turned his attention to the assassins.

He arranged the corpses in a careful row before going through their pockets, laying out their identification badges on the floor above their heads. Three were from Ranveig's fleet, and the other two were Gnov’s. It was a dangerous alliance.

Lotor pulled out their datapads as well as his own before starting the painstaking process of cross referencing their recent movements, all the people they’d been in contact with. He compiled a list of over a hundred suspicious men and women and sent out an Imperial order for their immediate arrests, sending a brief missive to Sendak’s most trusted Lieutenant, Haxus, to apprise him of the situation and get him started on interrogations.

He paused after, sitting on the ground with his back against the wall as he stared at the bodies, thinking about what to do next. He went over all the orders Sendak had sent to Gnov and Ranveig, went over their recent fleet movements and investigated the resources they had at their disposal-

Sendak groaned quietly and Lotor stood, furious as he stalked over.

“You stupid fuck,” he hissed, watching as Sendak slowly opened his eyes.

“Lotor?” he asked with a wince. “I thought you were- I thought you’d be gone.”

“How dare you do this?” Lotor demanded. “How dare you- you- get _wasted_ like this? You’re an Emperor!”

“I…” Sendak said faintly, frowning as he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. “I- why- why are you still here?”

Lotor slapped him hard over the face and only grew angrier when Sendak didn’t move to stop him.

“Why are you clutching that thing like a fucking security blanket?” he snarled, snatching the collar out of Sendak’s hand. He contemplated it for a moment before fastening it back around his neck.

“Lotor?” Sendak asked in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“By my count your life is mine at least five times over by now,” Lotor said coldly, bending to grab Sendak by the arm and yank him up to his feet. “I’m not in the habit of discarding precious things.”

Sendak stumbled and looked over at the corpses laid out on the floor, his eyes widening in shock and horror.

“Clean yourself up,” Lotor said, pushing him ruthlessly towards the bathroom. “Get yourself together. We have-” he checked the time on his datapad before scowling, “-less than an hour before the next council meeting. Don’t expect breakfast, you don’t deserve it.”

“We?” Sendak asked, a small smile spreading over his lips.

“Don’t get cute with me, you absolute bastard- I’m _furious_ with you! Now go!” Lotor shoved him towards the shower before slamming the door shut behind him.

He looked around the room wildly, and then down at himself. His undersuit was stained with blood and that was unacceptable. He changed into another as quickly as he could before fastening the brace around his leg. It wasn’t necessary anymore, but no one had to know that. It would be better if everyone assumed he was crippled, just a useless bedwarmer. There was blood in his hair, too, but he brushed it out and pulled it back into an ornate braid. Last of all he threw on a robe, one of his own this time, one he’d commissioned behind Sendak’s back.

It was made of shining purple silk, trimmed in gold. It wasn’t exactly Sendak’s colors, but it would be close enough, it would add to the effect of him being a pet and nothing more.

The council meeting was a strategy session, Gnov and Ranvieg would be there. He contemplated what to do next, how best to handle this, and then he sent out an order to summon three dozen sentries.

The door to the bathroom opened and Sendak stepped out, clutching a towel around his waist. Lotor ran his eyes down his powerful body appreciatively, and then glanced back at the clock- they had less than half an hour to spare now.

“Lotor?” Sendak asked, shocked as he took in Lotor standing before him.

“Get dressed,” Lotor ordered. “We don’t have much time.”

“Alright,” Sendak said and Lotor looked back down to the datapad, his mind racing.

“I’m ready,” Sendak said once he’d returned, wearing full armor now.

“Gnov and Ranvieg moved against you,” Lotor said. “You should bring the heads of their assassins to the meeting. That one-” he pointed to the fourth man he’d killed, “is Gnov’s most trusted Lieutenant. Take this one’s head too,” he said, pointing to the first man. “He’s Ranvieg’s.”

“Is that really…” Sendak trailed off, looking sick. He was a terror on the battlefield but the thought of beheading a few corpses had him disgusted? It was ridiculous.

“Yes, it’s _necessary_ ,” Lotor hissed. “Do you want them to see you as a joke? Do you want them to keep trying to kill you? Show them what happens to those who disobey you! Show them your strength!”

“Yes, my prince,” Sendak said.

Lotor pulled up short, shaking at the intense sense of victory and power surging through him. He barked out a surprised laugh before he got himself together.

 _Yes_.

He was a prince, he was a ruler. He was everything he needed to be and he’d bend the Empire to his will as he liked, with Sendak as his hands and sword and voice.

He didn’t care what they thought of him, didn’t care if the soldiers thought he was just a piece of ass. All that mattered was the _truth_ , and the truth was- he was in control.

Lotor turned to Sendak with a smile, heady with power.

“ _Kneel_ ,” he ordered.

Sendak’s eyes widened, but he only hesitated for a brief moment before he did as he was told. Lotor laughed as he strode over and dropped to his knees in front of him before yanking him into a passionate kiss. Sendak moaned against him, clutching at his hips and waist as he leaned closer.

After a long dizzying moment Lotor shoved him back and smirked. “This is a new era, Sendak,” he said. “A new Empire, a fresh start. We’ll do it together now, and I promise- I won’t lie to you. I won’t manipulate or mislead you. And in return- you’ll never leave me again.”

“Yes,” Sendak said, closing his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Lotor’s waist to drag him closer. He buried his face against Lotor’s neck and he was shaking as Lotor carefully raised his hands to card through the thick fur of his crest, letting himself enjoy the closeness and the heat, the familiar strength of Sendak’s arms around him.

 

 


	2. Part II

 

* * *

 

Sendak drew up short with a surprised hiss when he stepped out into the hall to see the waiting sentries.

“Easy,” Lotor said, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. “They’re mine.”

Sendak looked over at him wide-eyed. “You’ve managed to gain control of so many?”

“I have control of _all_ of them,” Lotor said. “In this fleet and all the others.”

For a second Sendak looked scared and Lotor laughed. “Come along, else we’ll be late to the meeting.”

Sendak nodded and Lotor squeezed his arm slightly before falling back to walk a few respectful paces behind him. He was practically giddy with anticipation, and when the moment finally came it did not disappoint.

Lotor watched the faces of the assembled Commanders as Sendak slammed the severed heads on the table, he watched Ranveig and Gnov grow suddenly pale and still. Their fates had been sealed as soon as they’d had the audacity to set an assassination plot into motion- this display wasn’t really for them so much as for all of the others.

The sentries took Ranveig and Gnov away and Lotor watched as Sendak redistributed their forces amongst the remaining Commanders with painful evenness. They would have to have a talk about that later.

The meeting shifted towards troop formations, supply lines, the petty squabbles between fleets and the endless politics of territory rights, mining rights, who owed tribute to who. It was exhilarating. Lotor struggled to appear bored as he listened. This was where the true power lay- where all the decisions were made that went on to make or break an Empire. Finally he was here- not necessarily in the way he’d expected to be but perhaps this was even better.

For the first time in a long time, there wasn’t a target on his back. He could rule with Sendak’s solid form standing between him and everything else. And if the only thing he’d have to contend with in return were some nasty glances and whispered insults, he’d pay that price gladly.

Once the meeting was over one of the Commanders lingered, throwing curious glances at where Lotor was standing, waiting patiently in the corner of the room.

“I see you’ve finally tamed him,” the Commander said with a leer. Sendak glowered but the Commander ignored it, leaning closer. “How did you manage that, I wonder?”

Sendak met his eyes across the room and Lotor winked, smirking.

“With my giant cock,” Sendak said flatly and Lotor had to hold back a snort.

“Would you ever consider… loaning him out?” the Commander asked, and Lotor was impressed that Sendak managed to hold himself back from strangling him on the spot.

“You couldn’t handle him,” Sendak said disdainfully before leaving, motioning for Lotor to follow.

Lotor waited until they were alone in the halls before bursting out into laughter and taking Sendak’s hand.

“We’re going to have so much fun, darling,” he said.

“Darling?” Sendak asked, smiling. “You haven’t called me that since…”

“Ages ago.”

“I thought you were furious with me.”

“I contain multitudes,” Lotor said with a smirk.

“Lotor,” Sendak said, suddenly serious as he tightened his hold on his hand and turned to push him up against the wall. “I came back for you. I want you to know- I came back for you. For a long time- too long- I thought your messages were just lies. But then I went back, I turned my fleet back.”

Lotor stared up at him, wide-eyed and confused.

“We were ambushed, and I was injured, and- and I wasn’t there. I tried to be- I wanted to be- so badly. Please- you have to understand- I never turned my back on you.”

“Oh,” Lotor managed, looking down. “Oh,” he repeated, his heart sinking. “I- I’m sorry about the letter. It was cruel. I was drunk and in pain when I wrote it. I was- I was afraid.”

“I know,” Sendak whispered, raising his hands to cradle Lotor’s face.

“Why did you keep it?” Lotor asked, looking up at him.

“To remind myself what happens when I fail,” Sendak said.

Lotor closed his eyes and breathed slowly for a moment. “Most of it was lies.”

“But not all of it.”

“No.”

“It’s over now,” Sendak said. “It’s over, they’re gone, and we can do whatever we want. We can build whatever we want- you can.”

“Yes,” Lotor said, wrapping his arms around Sendak’s neck. He pulled him down for a kiss and shivered at the feeling of Sendak’s hands on his sides, his ass-

Someone cleared their throat pointedly and Sendak jerked back.

“Sire,” Haxus said. “I’m finished with the interrogations.”

“Interrogations?” Sendak asked and Lotor shifted closer so he was standing half behind him before nudging him discreetly in the back. “Right,” Sendak said. “Yes, the interrogations, what of them?”

“We’ve found over two dozen co-conspirators.”

“Excellent,” Sendak said and Lotor nudged him again. “Well, not _excellent_.”

“Did you wish to… speak to any of them?” Haxus asked.

“Keep them locked up for now, I’ll deal with them later.”

“As you say, Emperor Sendak,” Haxus said with a polite nod. He paused for a moment and then grinned. “Prince Lotor,” he said, bowing deeply. “It’s good to have you with us.”

“Surprisingly so,” Lotor said.

Haxus nodded and turned to leave.

“I’m impressed,” Lotor murmured. “Your Lieutenant is smarter than I thought.”

“I’ve always had a habit of surrounding myself with my betters,” Sendak said mildly, taking his hand.

“Dangerous habit,” Lotor said.

“Lucky for me you’re here to keep an eye on me now,” Sendak said with a quiet chuckle.

Lotor squeezed his hand before letting go. “I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch yesterday, I’m dying of hunger.”

“We can’t have that,” Sendak said. “Would you like to have lunch in our rooms?”

“I’m curious to see how you’ve been living this whole time,” Lotor said.

“I’m surprised you don’t already know. How long have you had access to my files?”

“Ever since I drugged you the night you executed Haggar.”

Sendak exhaled sharply and it sounded almost like a laugh. “I knew it. I knew there was something strange going on!”

“I had control of the sentries even before that, ever since our fight.”

“You had my datapad for barely ten minutes!”

“If you wanted to make it difficult for me, you should have changed your password,” Lotor said with a shrug.

As they got closer to the mess hall he let his expression grow blank and fell back a few steps, trailing behind Sendak respectfully. It was unusual for a Commander to eat with his troops, and now that Sendak was Emperor it was practically scandalous.

Still, Lotor was of the opinion that such things promoted loyalty, and this was a new Empire after all. This wouldn’t be the only thing they’d do differently.

A hush fell over the hall as they walked in, and then came the frantic whispers. Lotor only caught snatches of what was being said, and maybe that was for the best. He caught sight of the two soldiers he’d roughed up earlier and gloried in the way they grew pale and drew back- and then he saw his Generals.

The three of them were sitting huddled together in the corner of the hall, whispering and staring at Lotor nervously. Ezor had her hand on Zethrid’s arm like she was trying to prevent her from rising, and Axca was holding her blaster under the table.

They seemed afraid, though he wasn’t sure if that fear was directed at Sendak or at him. He’d been angry over their betrayal, but it was a dull ache by now. He understood why they’d done it- in their position he may have done the same thing. But for a brief moment he’d let himself believe he’d finally found companions that were loyal, that cared for him as more than a shield, a meal ticket, a means to an end. Learning that he’d been wrong yet again hurt more than their betrayal.

He wondered what they thought of him now, but in the end that didn’t matter. As long as they stayed loyal to Sendak he wouldn’t have to deal with them ever again.

Sendak led him over to the head table and sat, beckoning for Lotor to sit beside him. He stayed silent until sentries brought over plates of food- the same nutritional food goo Lotor had been eating for breakfast and lunch all this time.

“Don’t you have a taster?” Lotor muttered quietly as he looked down at his plate. They hadn’t given him a fork. What did they think he would do? Stab Sendak at the table? Or was this just an attempt to humiliate him?

“I’m not as paranoid as some,” Sendak said with a small smile. He handed his fork to Lotor to a wave of whispers and then took his plate in his hand and tipped it up to his mouth, drinking down the goo with relish. Lotor hid his smile behind his hand as he started to eat, enjoying the commotion they’d caused.

He threw a glance over at his Generals, and they just seemed confused now.

Lotor finished eating and pushed his plate away, setting the fork delicately beside it. When Sendak stood, he followed. The hall grew quiet again as the soldiers watched them walking out.

The next few hours were a blur of meetings and military inspections, reports and battleplan proposals. Sendak was clearly tired and bored of it by the end, struggling to focus, but Lotor was enthralled, soaking all the information in while his mind raced with half-formed plans and contingencies.

All things considered, Sendak had been managing quite well. But now that Lotor finally had his hands on the gears that ran the Empire, they’d be unstoppable.

They took dinner in their rooms in private and Lotor couldn’t stop spilling all his plans into the warm air between them. Sendak just smiled as he listened, his eyes glittering in the darkened room.

The bodies had been cleared away long ago but the iron smell of blood still hung in the air, somehow electric. Even though he knew it was getting late he was full of thrumming energy that nearly left him shaking with excitement.

“Lotor,” Sendak said, moving to set his hand over where Lotor was restlessly fiddling with his napkin.

“Right,” Lotor said with a laugh as he stood. “It’s late, and I think I still have blood in my hair. I’ll be right back.”

He went to the bathroom and undressed quickly, bathing thoroughly but not lingering. He walked out naked to see Sendak sitting on the couch. He was shirtless- a good start- but he’d laid out his blanket and was holding the pillow, staring down at it.

“What are you doing?” Lotor asked.

“I- I’m not sure,” Sendak said slowly. “I didn’t know if you’d want- if I should-“

“Sendak,” Lotor interrupted. “It’s been centuries since I’ve been fucked properly, maybe longer. You wouldn’t make me wait, would you? I didn’t take you for a cruel master.”

Sendak froze, and then he looked up and his eyes widened as he saw Lotor standing there, his body on full display. He ran his eyes down Lotor’s form and it felt like a physical touch, making him shiver. Sendak set the pillow aside and stood at last. Lotor’s heart was pounding with exhilaration, his breath came quick and he felt hot all over. Sendak took a step closer and Lotor turned and bolted for the bedroom, Sendak hot on his heels.

He felt wild with desire, the sharp thrill of the chase, the sound of Sendak’s footsteps behind him. Sendak caught him around the waist and they tumbled to the bed. Lotor tried to squirm out of his grasp, laughing breathlessly as Sendak wrestled him down and pinned his wrists above his head before kissing him deeply. It was thorough and bruising, frantic. Neither of them could get enough and Lotor shifted to wrap his legs around Sendak’s waist, pulling him in closer.

Sendak growled restlessly, pulling back to press biting kisses to Lotor’s throat, letting go of his hands to stroke his chest. All Lotor could do was pant, clutching at Sendak’s powerful shoulders, sinking his fingers into the thick fur at the back of Sendak’s neck. Every hint of teeth against him made him shiver with the thrilling pleasure and danger of it.

Lotor bit his lip so he could stay quiet as Sendak raked his fingers down his sides and moved down to take his cock in his mouth.

“Oh-” Lotor gasped, arching towards him. His mouth was so hot, so eager. He swallowed Lotor down like a starving man, shoving Lotor’s thighs open wider and taking him under the knee to drape Lotor’s leg over his shoulder.

 _Fuck-_ he’d forgotten how good this was and his head was spinning with it. Sendak remembered exactly how he liked it, stroking the underside of his cock firmly with his tongue as he bobbed up and down. He took him in impossibly deep and Lotor clutched at the sheets desperately, fighting to catch his breath. And then Sendak was pressing a slick finger against him, inside him-

Lotor whined at the intrusion, the girth. Sendak felt huge already. He crooked his finger up firmly, stroking the most sensitive spots inside him with unerring precision and Lotor arched his back with a loud moan only to freeze, pressing his hand to his mouth in fear.

Sendak stilled, pulling back to look at him with a frown. “You know you don’t have to be quiet anymore.”

Slowly Lotor relaxed again, breathing hard. “I know,” he said. “I know, I- It’s a difficult habit to break.”

They’d always had to sneak around before, be careful of getting caught, be _quiet_. They’d been together long enough that it had simply become second nature, even when they managed to get a bit of real privacy. Lotor had managed to move past it with a handful of lovers, but now that he was with Sendak again some of that old fear had surged back.

“Don’t worry, I’ll break you of it,” Sendak said with a dangerous grin and Lotor shivered at the confidence in his eyes. “I want to hear you, I want to hear you begging for me, screaming for me.”

He took Lotor’s cock back in his mouth, saving him from answering. And then he was thrusting into him with two fingers and Lotor pressed his hand back to his lips, breathing hard and shaking. He was already so full, but he knew there was so much more to come.

“Sendak, I’m close,” he whispered and Sendak drew back to press bruising kisses to his inner thighs as he kept fucking him, slow and steady as he worked him open.

“Easy,” Sendak murmured as he pushed in a third finger and for a second Lotor couldn’t breathe. It was so much, the stretch was so intense. It was amazing, and then Sendak started moving and it was even better.

Lotor couldn’t help the whimpers that broke out of him, couldn’t help arching up against him only to flush when Sendak set his other hand over his stomach, keeping him pressed to the bed. His hand was so huge, nearly spanning the full width of his waist, and it was exquisite to feel so good, so safe, even as he was being held down.

Sendak kept going until Lotor was desperate for more, for his cock. “Sendak, _please_ ,” he breathed out and Sendak bit him sharply on the inner thigh before drawing his fingers out and leaving him clenching on nothing.

“Here, like this,” Sendak said, easily maneuvering him to lie on his stomach before yanking his hips up. “Open up for me,” Sendak ordered.

Lotor flushed as he spread his legs as wide as he could, already shaking. Sendak chucked quietly and the sound went straight to Lotor’s cock.

Sendak set his hands on Lotor’s hips before stroking his ass with his thumbs, spreading him open. “Look at you, so eager for me,” Sendak breathed out, and Lotor was filled with equal parts embarrassment and desire. He felt so exposed and vulnerable, but it was _Sendak_ , and he knew he had nothing to fear from him.

And then Sendak was pushing inside and he was _huge_. Lotor gasped in shock- had he always been this huge? The head of his cock was sliding inside, slick and impossibly hot, and the stretch was just on the edge of pain- Lotor couldn’t help it, a spike of panic filled him and he fought to squirm away but Sendak was holding him too tightly by the hips, not letting him move as he kept pushing in.

 _“Settle,”_ he growled.

“You’re too big,” Lotor gasped, screwing his eyes shut as he clutched at the sheets.

Sendak chuckled again, starting to work into him with slow shallow thrusts, coming inexorably deeper with each movement. “That’s what you always say, and then you always take it like a champion and beg me for more. Ease up, open up for me.”

“Fuck you,” Lotor bit out, but it was already starting to feel amazing. Sendak’s shaft was ridged and each one caught on Lotor’s rim as he moved in and out.

“There you go, that’s it,” Sendak said and Lotor pushed his face into the pillow to try and muffle his cries. “That’s it, look at you. You’re so beautiful for me, you take it so well. We’re almost there, and then I can fuck you just how you like it, just how you need it.”

“Sendak,” Lotor breathed out desperately. His head was spinning, he was fighting so hard to stay quiet but he couldn’t. He moaned only to flinch, and as his muscles tightened pain spiked through him and he hissed.

“Oh baby,” Sendak whispered, stilling so he could stroke his hand over Lotor’s back soothingly. “You’re alright, it’s alright. You’re safe here, no one’s going to hear. No one but me.”

“I know,” Lotor said. “It’s just- it’s hard.”

“I know. Do you want me to give you my hand? Will that help you relax?”

“Yes,” Lotor whispered. He was already feeling calmer at the thought of it, and then Sendak was folding over him and bringing his hand up to cover his mouth. Lotor shuddered, relaxing all at once into Sendak’s hold.

“Good, that’s good, that’s perfect,” Sendak said. “I’m going to start now, alright?”

Lotor nodded but Sendak was already moving, fucking into him firmly. This time when he moaned it was into Sendak’s hand and he wasn’t afraid. Sendak slid all the way in at last and Lotor yelped- he was so deep, he was hitting all the places inside that made Lotor burn up, lose his mind. His thighs were shaking from the effort of keeping himself up, on the verge of collapse, and Sendak paused.

“Here, lift up,” Sendak said as he reached for a pillow and Lotor pushed his hips up a little higher so Sendak could shove it under him. “Good- now give me your hands.”

Lotor closed his eyes as he shifted, bringing his arms together behind his back so Sendak could take both his wrists in his other hand.

“That’s good, baby- are you ready?”

Lotor nodded against Sendak’s hand over his face. He was flushed and sweating, held open and close-

Sendak started fucking him hard and fast and Lotor gave himself over into his hands, into his cock impaling him again and again. His knees finally gave out but the pillow was enough to keep his hips angled up and then all he could do was take it.

He let himself go, let himself moan and whine and writhe on Sendak’s cock, struggling a little just to feel Sendak’s strength holding him down. It had been so long since he’d been this unbearably full, felt this wanted. His cock was hard and aching, rubbing against the pillow with each one of Sendak’s thrusts, but it was almost an afterthought to the pleasure exploding inside him.

“Fuck, you’re amazing,” Sendak groaned. “No one takes my cock as well as you do, no one looks so pretty when I split them open- you’re- _fuck_ -”

Lotor shuddered, tense and just on the edge even mostly untouched. Maybe Sendak could feel him getting closer, because he leaned down to bite at his neck and whisper in his ear.

“I want to feel you coming on my cock, I want to feel you let go. Can you do that for me, my prince?”

Lotor made a muffled sound like a sob, completely overwhelmed by Sendak inside him, holding him, whispering to him. He was still talking but Lotor was too gone to make out the words. It didn’t matter, all that mattered was the tone of his voice, deep and possessive, commanding and gentle as he goaded Lotor on.

He fucked in sharp and deep, managing to hit every spot inside Lotor where he was most sensitive, and he couldn’t hold on anymore. His hips jerked of their own accord, there was a loud rushing in his ears. He sobbed again, though this time it was closer to a scream, and then he was coming and it was like fire rushing through his veins.

Sendak fucked him through the aftershocks and then he was coming too with a growl before he stilled, breathing hard for a long moment with his face pressed to the back of Lotor’s neck.

He let go of Lotor’s hands first and Lotor moved his aching arms back down to the sheets, the spots where Sendak had been holding him feeling tender and hot. And then Sendak’s hand was leaving his mouth and he was pulling out before dragging Lotor over to lie on his side with Sendak’s arm a warm weight over him.

“Alright?” Sendak asked, carefully stroking his fingers over Lotor’s heaving chest.

Lotor laughed breathlessly. “Yes,” he managed. He was more alright now than he had been in years, centuries, millenia. It suddenly struck him that he’d been awake now for two days straight, and everything caught up to him in one dizzying moment- Sendak freeing him, the plot and the fight, the sleepless night of searching through crew manifests, the first day of their new reality. Now this.

He’d never felt this completely boneless before, so exhausted and yet so totally sated. Sendak was a warm solid weight behind him, around him. And they had so much ahead of them still, _everything._

“I’ll get a washcloth,” Sendak said.

“Don’t go,” Lotor murmured. “I’ll be asleep before you get back, and I want to fall asleep in your arms.”

“Yes, my love,” Sendak said and Lotor couldn’t help smiling as he let himself drift off.

 

* * *

 

When Lotor woke he found himself lovingly tucked into the blankets, but Sendak was gone. He reached over for his datapad to check Sendak’s schedule- he’d been called away to discuss some strange readings that had been sent to them from some other fleet. Lotor perused the data- it was just an abnormal quasar, nothing to worry about. Sendak would be back soon enough.

He stretched with a yawn; he’d slept well past breakfast and nearly to lunch time. He rose on shaky legs, savoring the faint aching burn inside him, before taking a leisurely bath. He felt amazing, like some of the ever present clinging black threads of fear and anxiety that plagued him had been unwound from his core and burned away. He felt like he could _breathe_.

After the bath he dressed in a soft robe and went out to the main room to find a covered plate of familiar food goo next to a bowl of brightly colored exotic fruits. He ignored the bland nutritional paste and selected a sweet yellow fruit instead. After a moment’s thought he poured himself a glass of sparkling wine as well before settling on the couch with his datapad, looking over the quintessence output data from their colonies.

He lazed around for a while before Sendak returned, smiling as he took in Lotor sprawled out on the couch.

“I see my lazy slave is up to no good,” Sendak said with a smirk as he walked closer. Lotor smirked back as he took a sip of wine and set the glass down on the table.

“On the contrary, I’ve been waiting for my master quite patiently even though I’ve been wanting to touch myself for hours.”

“Is that so,” Sendak said, sinking to his knees before the couch and dragging Lotor closer. He pulled open the robe to press kisses down his stomach, getting teasingly close to his cock. “How do you feel, are you sore?”

“I feel fantastic, darling- I’d feel even better with your mouth on me.”

Sendak didn’t waste any more time before sucking him down and Lotor spread his thighs wider for him, draping one of his legs over his shoulder and shifting down to be closer. Sendak sucked him slowly like he was savoring it, like they had all the time in the world. Lotor let his head fall back against the couch and closed his eyes as he relaxed into it, stroking Sendak’s crest and ears, luxuriating in the feeling of his soft warm fur against his fingers.

It had none of the urgency of the previous night, it was amazing in an entirely different way, and soon Lotor was coming with a soft gasp as Sendak swallowed him down. Sendak pulled back to press kisses to his inner thigh as he pushed his hand down into his pants, stroking himself quickly as he stared up at Lotor with a worshipful gaze.

“Still alright?” he asked after his breathing had slowed. He went to put his cock away before draping the robe over Lotor’s hips to cover him.

“Mmm,” Lotor hummed with a smile. He held out his hand and Sendak gave him the wine glass, still staring up at him like he was something beautiful and he couldn’t quite believe his luck.

The moment was broken by the sound of footsteps in the hallway and the door bursting open. Lotor looked over in annoyance to see his Generals rushing inside, their blasters up and pointing at Sendak.

“Lotor,” Axca bit out, her eyes widening as she took in the scene before her- Sendak on his knees in front of the couch with one of Lotor’s legs still draped over his shoulder, the glass of wine in Lotor’s hand. His robe lay mostly open over his chest and he was covered in love bites from last night.

“May I ask what the _fuck_ you think you’re doing?” Lotor asked, raising an eyebrow pointedly.

“Rescuing you,” Zethrid said, but suddenly she didn’t seem so sure.

“I might have appreciated that several months ago,” Lotor said slowly. “But at this point, I’ve got the situation well in hand.” On some level he was pleasantly surprised that they’d try to help him, but mostly he was just annoyed at the interruption, at their stupidity.

“I told you,” Ezor muttered.

“And now you’ve barged into the Imperial chambers and threatened your Emperor, after everything I’ve done to try and make a place for you here. This is rather… unfortunate.”

“Put down your weapons,” Sendak said, somehow managing to sound authoritative even while still on his knees with his face barely a handbreadth away from Lotor’s groin.

The Generals suddenly seemed unsure and Lotor frowned. “Do as he says before you make this worse for yourselves.”

“Fuck,” Acxa bit out and lowered her blaster, putting it back in the holster as the other two followed suit.

Sendak stood slowly, and then he started to laugh, booming and joyful. Some of the tension was broken and Lotor sat up straighter, closing the robe over his chest.

“Well well, little halfbreeds. It looks like you’re worth something after all.”

“What?” Acxa asked uncertainly.

“I was very angry with you when I heard about how you betrayed my prince,” Sendak said. “So angry I nearly executed you along with your mistress. But now you’ve proven yourselves loyal to him and redeemed yourselves. Brave of you to come here and risk everything for him. Very brave indeed.”

Lotor smiled, and then he was laughing too at the way Acxa was staring, at the absurdity of the situation.

“So... what- what now?” Zethrid asked slowly.

“Lotor?” Sendak asked, turning to him.

Lotor stood, still smiling. “Now we’re going to proceed as before and never speak of this again. The three of you will be the elite team of Sincline pilots that stand between the Empire and Voltron, and you’ll finally be recognized and respected the way you deserve.”

“And- what about you, then?” Acxa asked.

“What about me?” Lotor asked. “I’m quite content with my place at the moment. So long as you don’t break in here and interrupt my fun ever again.”

“Ugh, I _told_ you,” Ezor said, dropping her face into her hands.

“You’re really going to just… play the role of a slave?” Zethrid asked incredulously. “The things they say about you-“

“What things?” Sendak growled in anger. “Who-“

Lotor set a hand over his upper arm to stop him. “They’ve been saying them my entire life, even when I was a Prince in good standing. Why should I care what anyone thinks? I will rule them regardless, whether they realize it or not. Besides, Sendak is a better face for the Empire than I. If I’d taken the throne I doubt the Galra would have fallen in line so quickly.”

“Alright,” Acxa said. “If you’re sure. We’ll do as you say. And- and I’m sorry. We’re sorry. For all of it. When we were with Haggar we found out what she did, with Narti-“

Lotor stepped forward to set his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her closer to press their foreheads together. “It’s alright,” he said quietly. “I understand. You did what you thought you had to in order to survive, we all did. And this hamfisted rescue is apology enough.”

She hesitated before wrapping her arms around him, and then Ezor and Zethrid were there too, holding him. When they pulled away there were tears in Acxa’s eyes and she wiped at her face jerkily.

“I guess we’ll leave you to your… uhh… sex romp then,” Ezor said with a glance at Sendak.

Lotor laughed as Zethrid patted him on the back approvingly. “Please do,” he said with a smile.

 

* * *

 

Lotor couldn’t be happier as he lay on the couch with his head pillowed on Sendak’s thigh and Sendak’s fingers carding through his hair, writing a report on improving energy efficiency throughout the Empire.

“Damn,” Sendak hissed and Lotor looked up at him, lowering his datapad.

“What is it?”

“Voltron- what else? They’ve attacked another outpost. They fled when our fleet arrived, but they still managed to do significant damage. They’re a nuisance, but we’re burning quintessence to fight them and our stores are growing low.”

“Hmm,” Lotor said. “Maybe it’s time to sue for peace, try and negotiate an armistice agreement.”

“They’re children running amok!” Sendak exclaimed. “They locked me in a pod to forcefully rip out my memories! They traded you back to your father despite everything you did for them! They can’t be negotiated with.”

Lotor exhaled sharply, pursing his lips in anger as the memories rolled through him- the stark too bright cell, the callous way he’d been informed he was being marched to his death, the Princess speaking to him afterwards, asking him if he was _alright_ as if she could possibly care. And what they’d done to Sendak had been even worse, torture of the cruelest kind.

But that was in the past now, and Lotor forced himself to take a deep breath.

“The Black Paladin may see reason,” he said. “He helped me, he turned on his team twice for me. Maybe if we demand for him to act as their ambassador, we could-”

“I doubt he’d wish to deal with me,” Sendak said. “He fought in my arena for a deca-phoeb. It was at the witch’s orders but he doesn’t know that. I tried to help him- I trained him. But their human culture is strange, he doesn’t see what I did as anything more than yet another indignity. We’re not exactly on good terms.”

Lotor sighed heavily. “Perhaps you’re right.” He drummed his fingers on his thigh for a moment before it struck him. “Sendak- what’s become of my armor?”

“You could find out for yourself easily enough.”

“It’s faster just to ask, darling,” Lotor said with a grin, reaching up to stroke his fingers over Sendak’s ear.

“It was damaged during the Kral Zera,” Sendak said quietly. “We had to cut it off you so the doctors could operate. It’s probably still in a crate somewhere in the medbay.”

“Have someone bring it in here,” Lotor said.

It took less than an hour before a sentry was walking in with a crate and setting it down on the dining table. Lotor went through it carefully, wincing as he saw the state his armor was in. It was a miracle he’d survived the blast, a miracle that he’d managed to walk away with nothing but a faint twinge in his knee.

One of his gauntlets was still intact, and he brought it over to the couch before hooking it up to his datapad.

“I managed to infiltrate their systems when I was aboard their ship,” he explained as Sendak watched him curiously. “I downloaded their systems specifications. At the time I thought to take the schematics for their Teleduv- I’d been trying to build my own with little success. But now I wonder- perhaps I can use the information to write a virus, much like the one they used to attack Zarkon’s Command Ship. Perhaps we can disable the Castle and take it for ourselves. The cruiser, the Lions, the Paladins- all of it.

“We can send the Paladins back to their home planet where they won’t be able to trouble us any longer. Their technology is primitive- it’ll be centuries yet before they even figure out faster than light travel. A single cruiser in their orbit will probably be sufficient to keep them contained indefinitely. And without Voltron- their Coalition will crumble. They’ll have no choice but to bend the knee.”

Sendak chuckled quietly, pressing a kiss to the side of Lotor’s face while Lotor grinned up at him.

“Make it so, my prince.”

 

* * *

 

The plan went off without a hitch and Lotor found himself feeling oddly… disappointed.

The reality of Voltron really did not live up to the legend. It was frankly embarrassing that he’d ever been at their mercy.

But now that he had the Lions in his grasp, his dream of siphoning quintessence from the rift was reborn. They couldn’t fly them, but maybe Lotor could figure out their inner workings and use the knowledge to modify his Sincline to fulfill its intended purpose.

He gathered a team of engineers- under Sendak’s name, of course- and spent most of his time stalking through the hangar, supervising their work while Sendak took care of their other affairs. They ignored him and he was pleased enough with their progress, slow as it was, sending Imperial orders to them to direct their work.

As the days stretched on into weeks with little to show for it they grew frustrated and started cutting corners. Lotor did his best to send pointed memos to his teams, and even went so far as to ask Sendak to come down and look displeased as he walked around. That worked to cow them for a few days, and then he walked past the head engineer single-modulating the sensor arrays they were using to track the fluctuations of quintessence within the Lions.

“What are you doing?” Lotor demanded. “The Emperor’s instructions clearly say to double modulate the array.” He pointed to the Galra’s datapad, to the report he himself had written just two days ago.

“The Emperor is a warrior, not an engineer,” the Galra said haughtily. “I think I know what I’m doing better than he does.”

“I don’t think you do,” Lotor said, his voice dropping dangerously.

The engineer turned to him with a sneer, only just now realizing who it was he was talking to. “If I wanted the opinion of the Emperor’s _whore_ I’d ask for it!”

“I don’t care what you want,” Lotor said, taking a step closer. “You’ll do as your Emperor commands, or-”

The Galra bared his teeth in a snarl and raised his hand, moving to backhand Lotor over the face. Lotor grabbed his wrist and twisted it up behind his back before slamming him into his console chest first. The engineer screamed and thrashed but Lotor yanked on his arm harder and he stilled, breathing hard.

A few of the others shifted nervously like they were about to try and help but Lotor glared at them, sweeping his gaze through the room.

“Anyone who takes a step closer loses the foot they stepped with,” he said coldly.

He waited to see if anyone would try anything. No one dared, so he turned his attention back to the man he had at his mercy.

“How many fingers do you need to continue your work?” he asked. The man renewed his thrashing but Lotor took his pinky, bending it back threateningly, and he stilled with a frightened whimper. “Can you manage with eight, I wonder? That’s all you’ll have after I break this one, for disobeying your Emperor. And then another, for raising your hand to me without his permission. Would you like to lose one from each hand, or two from one? I’d choose the latter, if I were you.”

The man seemed on the verge of tears and then his eyes widened as he stared at something past Lotor’s shoulder. “Sire!” he cried out. “Sire, please! Get your slave under control!”

Lotor didn’t bother looking over as Sendak’s heavy footsteps approached.

“It seems to me he’s perfectly in control,” Sendak said mildly, setting his hand on the back of Lotor’s neck and sliding his thumb over to rub at the sensitive spot behind Lotor’s ear.

“No- no, don’t- please don’t,” the engineer sobbed.

Lotor sneered. Pathetic. “You can keep your post or you can keep your fingers. Choose.”

“My fingers! I choose my fingers!” the man cried. Lotor let him go and stepped back, watching with narrowed eyes as he scrambled away.

“Sire,” he said, looking up at Sendak beside him. “It appears you have need of a new head engineer.”

“Yes, it appears so,” Sendak said with a faint smirk.

“Based on my observations here I can recommend a number of candidates-”

“No need,” Sendak said, cutting him off and gently running his thumb over Lotor’s bottom lip before pulling his hand away. “It will be you.”

Lotor’s eyes widened uncertainly. This wasn’t the plan. Although- he’d already thrown the plan out the airlock when he’d confronted the head engineer in front of so many witnesses. He inclined his head in a show of respect.

“You honor me, sire.”

“Do you understand?” Sendak asked, looking around at the others. “From now on you are to obey Prince Lotor’s commands if they were my own.”

The hall broke out in uncertain whispers and Sendak scowled.

“Do you understand?” he repeated, his voice booming through the hangar.

“Vrepit Sa, Emperor Sendak!” They all saluted in unison and Sendak nodded.

“Very good,” he said before turning back to Lotor. He lowered his voice so only Lotor would hear him, smiling gently as he stroked the back of his finger over Lotor’s cheek. “I just came down here to tell you I’ll be late to dinner.”

“Excellent timing,” Lotor said, smiling too as he leaned into Sendak’s touch.

“Timing is an area I seek to improve in. Try not to threaten any more of your staff. You’re creating a hostile work environment.”

Lotor rolled his eyes. If they’d been alone he would have allowed himself to laugh, would have shoved Sendak playfully in the side.

“I’m certain you have duties to attend to, _sire,”_ he said instead.

“Yes,” Sendak said. “Carry on.”

After he was gone Lotor stared at all the men and women gathered before him, looking back at him uncertainly.

“Well?” he asked. “The show is over. Return to your work.”

They hurried to do as he said and he smiled, walking over to a console himself, practically giddy with excitement. He’d been aching to sink his hands into this project for weeks. He’d been frustrated by the games of memos and reports, pretending he was a nobody, wasting time.

He quickly found dozens of other little mistakes and cut corners, lazy solutions to serious problems. It was so much easier to just fix it himself instead of painstakingly writing up instructions and hoping the engineers would follow them properly.

The others didn’t quite know what to make of him, and then one young Galra approached him to ask for clarification about his task. After Lotor calmly explained it to him the floodgates were open and he got more and more questions. As he answered each one he watched their respect for him grow right before his eyes. He realized the head engineer had been neglecting his duties in properly guiding his staff, that most of them had been floundering all this time. Maybe that was the reason progress had been so slow, and he found himself smiling as he made his rounds again, speaking with the teams personally now.

He was lost in the work for hours, and it wasn’t until a sentry showed up to request his presence in the Imperial chambers that he realized he’d missed dinner.

Lotor couldn’t help grinning as he walked through the halls. When he stepped into their rooms he saw Sendak sitting at the dining table dressed casually in a tight black tank top and a pair of soft pants. He’d eaten already but there was a covered tray still set out for Lotor and he threw off his silk robe carelessly before sitting down to eat. He was ravenous, elated, _excited._

“Good day?” Sendak asked.

“Marvelous day,” Lotor said between bites. “I think we’ll make some real progress now. That man was more of a fool than I’d thought.”

“Should I be worried that you’re so excited at the prospect of breaking someone’s fingers?”

Lotor laughed. “Don’t worry, darling- your fingers are quite safe with me.”

“Of course, you’re not in the habit of discarding precious things,” Sendak said mildly and Lotor blushed. Sendak grinned at him suggestively and slowly Lotor pushed his empty plate away. He was still hungry, but not for food. He was hungry for the way Sendak was looking at him, his eyes dark and full of desire.

“Maybe we should head to the bedroom,” Lotor said with a smile.

“No,” Sendak said, standing from the table to walk over to sit on the couch. “Come here.”

Lotor flushed as he stood, stopping before Sendak.

“Take off your clothes,” Sendak said with a grin, trailing his fingers over Lotor’s side.

Lotor shivered but raised his hands to the hidden zip at the neck of his undersuit, heat spreading through him as he peeled it off under Sendak’s attentive gaze. As soon as he was naked Sendak leaned forward to take him by the hips, drawing him closer to stand between his spread thighs before he lowered his mouth to Lotor’s cock. Lotor shivered, holding on to Sendak’s powerful shoulders for purchase.

He breathed out a shuddering sigh as he fought to stay standing under the onslaught of Sendak’s hot mouth moving over him leisurely. Sendak took his time, sucking him down until he was trembling and weak in the knees, biting his lip to stay silent. When he finally drew back Lotor gasped with disappointment.

“Here,” Sendak said, patting his own thigh invitingly. “I want you in my lap.”

Lotor moved to put his knee on the couch but Sendak shook his head with a grin, raising his finger in the air and twirling it, motioning for Lotor to turn around. Lotor frowned a little but did as he was told, and Sendak guided him to sit in his lap with his back pressed to Sendak’s chest, throwing off heat like a furnace. Sendak helped him get his legs under him, and then he was kneeling with his legs to either side of Sendak’s thighs, trembling with anticipation.

“You seem nervous,” Sendak said, pulling him closer so they were pressed together, smoothing his hands slowly over Lotor’s chest and stomach. “Relax.”

He dropped his flesh hand to stroke Lotor’s cock slowly and Lotor closed his eyes, melting against him as he sighed with pleasure. Sendak’s metal hand was at his throat, holding him gently but firmly, and Lotor turned so his face was pressed to the side of Sendak’s neck behind him.

He didn’t quite know what to do with his hands, he wanted to touch Sendak but he couldn’t reach much of him in his position.

“Prepare yourself for me,” Sendak said, slipping a bottle of oil into his hand.

Lotor’s eyes flew open and he flushed as he twisted to try and look back at him. “What?” he asked. “Like this?”

“Yes,” Sendak grinned, planting his hand on Lotor’s upper back to push him forward. Lotor had to brace himself on Sendak’s knee to catch his balance, but then Sendak was holding him tightly by the waist and he knew he wouldn’t fall. “I want to watch you.”

“Alright,” Lotor breathed out, trembling as he slicked his fingers and reached down to push them inside himself. He closed his eyes and bit his lip as he worked himself open. He knew that Sendak was watching but he couldn’t _see_ and that made him feel painfully on display, thrumming with heat. One of Sendak’s hands left his waist and Lotor could feel him moving behind him, touching himself, and he had to bite back a moan.

“I’m ready,” he whispered after what felt like ages, pulling his fingers out.

“Good,” Sendak murmured. “Come here, sit back-”

He guided Lotor back until he could feel Sendak’s cock pressing against him, hot and slick-

“Sit,” Sendak ordered, and Lotor shivered again.

He took a deep breath, bracing himself on Sendak’s thighs as he started to sink down. _Fuck-_ Sendak felt huge and for a moment he thought he wouldn’t be able to take it, that he hadn’t prepared himself enough-

“Are you going to tell me I’m too big again?” Sendak teased.

Lotor huffed in annoyance and pushed down, impaling himself on Sendak’s cock in one slow motion that left him gasping for breath.

“Easy,” Sendak said, wrapping his arms around Lotor’s waist and shifting down so he could pull Lotor fully against his chest. “Easy, are you alright?”

“Yes,” Lotor breathed out, even as all he could feel, all he could think about, was Sendak’s hot cock filling him up, splitting him open. He went to move but Sendak tightened his hold over his waist, keeping him seated and helpless. “Sendak!” Lotor whined, shifting restlessly over him.

“Easy,” Sendak said. “Are you in a hurry? Relax.”

He dropped his hand to Lotor’s cock again, stroking him slowly, teasing him, and Lotor bit back a whimper as he tried to move closer, tried to fuck himself.

“None of that,” Sendak whispered. “I want to hear you tonight. I don’t want you to hold back.”

“I can’t,” Lotor breathed out. “I can’t- Sendak, please-”

“I’ll help you,” Sendak said. He moved to cover Lotor’s mouth with his prosthetic hand, but then he pushed two of his fingers inside, forcing his mouth open. Lotor couldn’t help moaning and the sound of it was so loud that he winced, but Sendak stroked his cock firmly like he was rewarding him.

“That’s good,” Sendak growled into his ear. “That’s good- open up for me, let go. I want to hear you.”

Lotor’s instincts were yelling at him to close his mouth, bite his lip, but he couldn’t with Sendak’s fingers holding him open, pressing against his tongue. And Sendak was still stroking him with his other hand, his cock was still inside him-

Lotor screwed his eyes shut, shivering and out of control.

“Put your arms around my neck,” Sendak ordered. “Fuck yourself.”

Lotor reached back to wrap his arms around Sendak’s neck behind him, and the motion forced his back into a taut arch. The change in angle had him seeing stars as Sendak’s cock shifted inside him and he moaned again, loud and helpless around Sendak’s fingers in his mouth, holding him open so he couldn’t stifle it. Fuck- it was so _loud_ \- he was being so loud, it wasn’t safe-

“You’re alright, everything’s alright. You’re being so good for me,” Sendak whispered into his ear. “That’s good- that’s perfect. Go on, keep going, moan for me-”

Lotor exhaled a shuddering breath, trapped between Sendak’s fingers in his mouth and Sendak’s cock inside him, Sendak’s hand over him. It was so much, too much, but he wanted all of it and more.

He gathered the strength to rise up a little before sliding back down, moaning again at Sendak’s cock inside him. It felt so good, it was the best thing in the universe. He was completely at Sendak’s mercy and all he wanted was to be taken, and Sendak gave it all to him without him even needing to ask.

 _“Yes,”_ Sendak growled, thrusting into him now, helping him. “Yes, moan for me- scream for me-”

Lotor clutched at his neck as he fought to stay in control, but it was too much, all of it-

“Let go, my love,” Sendak said. “Please- let yourself go-”

Lotor shuddered and suddenly it was so easy to relax, to take it- to let himself sink into a world of pleasure as Sendak had his way with him. He moaned around Sendak’s fingers in his mouth and held tight to Sendak’s neck, letting himself grow loose and welcoming as Sendak fucked into him, stroked him.

He felt dizzy and hot, lost with pleasure, with the heady feeling of being out of control. He gave himself into Sendak’s hands and didn’t fight it any longer, let himself moan and cry out. It was amazing, it was freeing and exhilarating and his mind was filled with hazy static, his whole body buzzing.

Sendak was saying something but he couldn’t make out the words, he arched his back and moved into his hand, into his cock, moaning around the heavy weight over his tongue, Sendak’s cool fingers in his mouth.

It was too much- he couldn’t hold back. He cried out, louder than before, and then he was coming, his back arching as he nearly screamed.

Sendak was growling something, saying something, but then he was coming too and Lotor felt heat bursting inside him and if he’d been able, he would have come again just from that.

He felt woozy and weak as Sendak lifted him up and off his cock and wrapped his arms around him, cradling him gently as he picked him up before carrying him over to their bed.

“Come here,” Lotor managed softly, and then Sendak was there, laying beside him, wrapping an arm around him.

“I’ll always be here with you,” Sendak said quietly, seriously. “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

Lotor was sitting perched casually on the arm of the throne while Sendak took audiences. Generally Lotor skipped the public audiences, but the work with the Lions had come to a standstill and he needed a change of pace. He scanned the faces of the Galra in the hall, looking for threats as he listened to their petty complaints.

Every so often Sendak turned to him, asking him to confirm claims the petitioners made, and Lotor leaned down to whisper the answers into his ear along with his own suggestions.

Everything was proceeding as usual until the main doors slammed open and one of Lotor’s engineers burst in, shoving the current petitioner to the side so he could drop to his knees before the throne.

“Prince Lotor!” he gasped. “Something’s wrong- the Lions-“

Lotor jerked to his feet, Sendak following him.

“Stay here,” Lotor bit out, his heart pounding as he rushed towards the hangar. He broke into a sprint as soon as he made it out into the corridor. He could already sense it, that something was terribly wrong. There was a strange smell in the air, like lightning and burning metal, like something sweet and sharp and somehow full of power- _quintessence_.

He burst into the hangar and had to shield his eyes from the bright light, the flashing sparks filling the room, the alarms and the shouting of his engineers. They’d connected the Lions to his Sincline to try and transfer quintessence from one to the other in the hopes of Sinline gaining some of Voltron’s properties. Lotor hadn’t truly expected it to work that easily, but he’d thought they could at least learn more about the true nature of the Lions through the process. It shouldn’t have gone so awry.

Lotor froze as he stared- all eight of the transdimensional ships were glowing brightly, the conduits connecting them white with heat. The overhead lights of the hangar flickered and Lotor watched with horror as lightning crackled throughout the chamber. He couldn’t tell where it was coming from, Voltron or Sincline, but it was everywhere- ripping through the room like a coiling whip. It hit a technician and he fell with a scream, growing still as his armor smoked faintly.

“What’s happening?”

That was Sendak beside him, and Lotor turned to him with a snarl, shoving him in the chest to force him back towards the door. “Go back! Get out of here!”

“Prince Lotor!” someone shouted, terror filling his voice-

Lotor turned towards the shout, towards the Galra frantically trying to do something at a console. He yelped and fell back as it exploded in a shower of sparks but Lotor was there, grabbing him by the arm to drag him back.

“Do you know-” Lotor gasped.

“It’s some sort of feedback loop!” the man shouted to be heard over the blaring alarms, staring at him wide-eyed. “We can’t stop it- the energy levels are rising uncontrollably-”

“Evacuate,” Lotor snapped. “Get everyone out- sound the alarm throughout the ship- get everyone to escape pods, be ready to launch-”

“Prince Lotor- we can’t leave you!”

“Do as you’re told!” Lotor yelled, giving him a vicious shake before pushing him away.

He didn’t know if the man did as he ordered, he was too focused on what he had to do. He had to disconnect the Lions from Sincline before it was too late, before the energy levels spiked and destroyed the entire ship. He scrambled over to a working console, pulling up the systems controls.

He had procedures for this, failsafes- but he couldn’t shut down the system while it was malfunctioning. But he’d planned for that too- he’d installed blast doors in the hangar to separate his Sincline from Voltron, to separate his engineers from all of it-

If he could get the blast door closed that should sever the connection, and then he could open the airlock to vent the Lions into space if they still showed dangerous energy levels.

“Fuck!” he yelled as he tried to engage the safety procedures with no luck.

“Maybe I can help-“

 _Fuck._ Sendak again- why was he still _here?_

“You have to go!” Lotor yelled at him. “Now!”

He didn’t have time to make sure Sendak left, he didn’t have time for anything but rushing towards where the leads were hooked into his Sincline. He’d have to sever them manually, but it was too hot-

Lotor drew his sword and slashed through the thick cable, gritting his teeth as raw quintessence jolted through him, channeled through his sword and into his body. It was a brief moment of agony but he could take it- he’d have to.

There were still so many more.

It seemed quieter now that the engineers were gone, but he couldn’t be sure. He couldn’t hear anything past the pounding of his heart and the rushing in his ears, the crackling lightning all around him. How had everything gotten so fucked up? He’d just wanted to provide for his people, bring about peace, end the need for conquest and war. And now he’d put this entire ship, this fleet- at risk. He’d put _Sendak_ at risk.

What had he done?

But he couldn’t think about that now, he just needed-

He severed the last conduit but the alarms were still blaring. He couldn’t tell if what he’d done had been enough but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was out of time. There was a console beside him. He needed to get the ships out of Sendak’s cruiser, away from him and his crew. It didn’t matter what the cost was, Lotor would do anything.

He hit the button to open the airlock and only briefly considered that what he was doing would mean his death. It was his own fault. He’d been a fool- playing games, sauntering around in an undersuit and robes- playing at being a slave because- what? Because he’d thought it would be fun to have everyone fooled? Because he wanted to rule without the weight of responsibility on his shoulders? Without a target on his back? Because it would be _easier?_ Foolish. It was all so foolish.

If he’d been in his armor he might have survived this, but it was too late now. He had to do it, to save everyone else. To save Sendak.

The airlock didn’t open.

Something was jammed somewhere, something was broken. He looked around wildly to see if he could still fix it- but it was too bright now, there was lightning everywhere. The ship shook around him and he stumbled to his knees, shielding his head with his arms. And then there was a huge weight pressing against him, arms wrapping around him, shielding him-

“Sendak-!” Lotor cried out in horror. He’d told him to leave. He’d _told_ him-

There was a blast and fire filled the room, and Lotor didn’t know anything else.

 

* * *

 

“Sire, it’s time,” Haxus said quietly.

“Yes,” Lotor whispered, looking down as he fastened the black cloak over his shoulders. He was wearing black armor with blue and gold accents, a mix of Sendak’s colors and his own. Sendak had commissioned it for him weeks ago without his knowledge, and it wasn’t until now that he’d found out about it. He hadn’t had any reason to go through Sendak’s files ever since they’d come to their understanding.

As he left the Imperial quarters his Generals fell in beside him- Axca to his left and Zethrid at his back. Ezor was presumably somewhere nearby- invisible for now so she could assess threats and neutralize them while no one was the wiser. Haxus walked to his right, a reassuring presence and a symbol of continuity. Hopefully the presence of Sendak’s top Lieutenant would make the transition of power go a little smoother. Lotor felt sick to his stomach as they made their way to the throne room. He felt lightheaded and nervous, but mostly just numb.

“Rise for your Emperor Pro Tem,” Haxus announced as they walked in.

There were shocked whispers and wild conjectures, insults and lewd comments and slurs. All Lotor could hear was static as he walked slowly to the throne and moved his cloak out of the way to take a seat.

The room exploded in protests and shouted accusations but Lotor waited calmly for the commotion to pass.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Are we to be ruled by the Emperor’s plaything?”

“Where is he? He wouldn’t allow this-”

“I won’t stand for this-”

“If the Emperor cannot rule, we should announce a Kral Zera,” Quartermaster Janka said with a smug grin and Lotor looked up at last, tightening his hands into fists.

 _“No,”_ he said, and the hall fell silent. “There can be no Kral Zera while the Emperor yet lives.”

“Does he?” Commander Ladnok asked, stepping forward. “How can we know? No one has seen him but you and your lackeys-”

“You killed the last Emperor in cold blood,” Commander Branka said with a mean smirk. “How do we know this isn’t more of the same? How do we know this isn’t some trick? You’re a liar and a traitor, Lotor. Why should we follow you?”

“I’m finished with games,” Lotor said coldly, standing. “I’ve played them all my life and I’m in no mood for them now. You’ll do as you’re told. _All of you_ ,” he said, sweeping his gaze through the hall.

“There will be no Kral Zera while Emperor Sendak lives, but if any of you wish to make a challenge for the throne- I’ll accept it on his behalf. Go on. Step forward.”

He watched as the crowd before him grew suddenly uncertain. After a few moments someone stepped forward, a young Commander full of courage and bluster.

“I challenge you!” he declared.

Lotor bared his teeth in something that wasn’t a smile and snapped his fingers- a signal for Ezor. A line of red opened over the man’s throat and he fell to the ground, choking on his own blood.

There were gasps and fearful whispers moving through the crowd as everyone fell back.

“Any other challengers?” Lotor asked. Predictably- no one dared. “Very good,” he said, sitting back down. “Let’s proceed through the day’s tasks.”

The audience continued without further incident, but through it all there was that faint static ringing through his ears, the familiar numbness. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

It went on for days, weeks- and then he was eating dinner alone in the Imperial suite when Krella walked in with a smile.

“He’s awake,” she said softly. “He’s asking for you.”

Lotor jerked to his feet, his mind hazy as he followed her through the halls to the medbay.

“Sendak,” he breathed out as he settled at Sendak’s bedside, taking his hand.

“My love,” Sendak whispered. He looked well, though tired. He’d been hurt so badly in the blast he’d spent over three weeks in a healing pod, and even once he’d been well enough to be moved into the medbay he’d refused to wake. But that was in the past, he would get better now, and Lotor couldn’t help smiling down at him.

“How do you feel?” Lotor asked.

“Better, now that you’re here,” Sendak said.

“I’m sorry- I’m so sorry,” Lotor managed, bowing his head.

“No need to be,” Sendak said quietly. “You don’t need to apologize to me, not for anything.”

“I need to apologize for everything,” Lotor said.

Sendak squeezed his hand a little tighter and Lotor reached out to run his finger gently over the edge of his ear.

“How long do you intend to laze around, darling?” he asked with a weak smile. “You’ve got an Empire to run.”

“I’m sure you’ve been managing perfectly well without me.”

“I’ve been managing,” Lotor said. “We need to keep a closer eye on Janka, but-” he broke off with a soft laugh. “But that’s a problem for another time. Right now you need to focus on getting better.”

“Yes, my prince,” Sendak said. “What about the Lions? What will you do, now that-”

“It’s over,” Lotor said firmly. “I will not follow in Haggar’s footsteps. I will not pursue knowledge and power at the risk of what matters most. At the risk of-” he broke off, breathing hard. “I nearly lost you,” he whispered.

“You didn’t,” Sendak said with a smile, raising his hand to rest it against the side of Lotor’s face. Lotor leaned into his touch as he closed his eyes, letting Sendak’s warm presence steady him.

“I refuse to take that risk again,” Lotor said firmly. “I considered having the Lions destroyed, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I hid them away, instead- where no one will ever find them.”

“You’ve kept your Sincline, at least,” Sendak said with a frown.

“Yes,” Lotor said. “I know my Sincline inside and out- I built it. I understand it. It won’t turn against me like this. But- but my experiments with quintessence, with the rift- it’s all finished now. It’s too dangerous. Sincline will remain a warship and nothing more.”

They were silent for a long while, and then Sendak laughed. “You look good in the armor, as I knew you would. But why do you still wear this?” He raised his hand to run a finger over the gold collar at Lotor’s throat.

“It’s the first bit of jewelry my lover’s ever given me,” Lotor said, arching his brow. “Am I to throw it away like an ungrateful fool?”

Sendak laughed again. “If you wanted jewelry you could have said. It’s a wonder anyone ever believed you were a slave at all. You have power and pride written over your every feature, every strand of hair, everything you do.”

“Sendak, why did you say it?” Lotor asked. “Back at the Kral Zera- why did you say what you did?”

Sendak blushed, looking away. “You were badly hurt. They wanted to leave you to die so I had to find a reason to take you-”

“No, Sendak,” Lotor interrupted firmly. “You said it before the blast. Before I got hurt.”

“I-” Sendak broke off to lick his lips. “I don’t know. It just- it just fell from my lips. It was the first time I’d seen you in so long, and- You arrived with the Black Paladin and I thought- I thought you’d joined them for good. I felt… betrayed. I wanted you back, I wanted to take you, to- to- _own_ you. It was- it wasn’t right. I’m sorry. I was angry and afraid.”

“I can’t be taken or owned,” Lotor said quietly.

“I know that,” Sendak said, looking back at him at last. “Of course I know that. I knew even then, even as I said it.”

“But you know I’m yours anyway,” Lotor said with a smile. “I give myself to you, now and always. I love you.”

Sendak’s eyes widened comically as he stared.

“Darling?” Lotor asked after Sendak had stayed silent for what felt like ages.

“You just- you’ve never said that before,” Sendak breathed out.

“I really have been such an ungrateful fool,” Lotor whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. “That’s an area I seek to improve in.”

“Come here,” Sendak said, shifting a little to make room for Lotor on the bed.

He knew he should have argued, should have reminded Sendak that he wasn’t well, that he needed to rest- But he couldn’t. In that moment all he wanted was to be close, and he knew Sendak wanted it too.

Lotor stood and slowly took off his armor until he was standing in just his thin undersuit, and then he carefully climbed into bed beside his lover, his Emperor.

Sendak wrapped an arm around him and Lotor buried his face against his chest. The anxiety and fear that had been choking him ever since the explosion eased all at once and he took a deep shuddering breath.

“It’s alright,” Sendak whispered. “Everything’s going to be alright now.”

“Yes,” Lotor said with a smile.

 

* * *

 

When Sendak was well enough to return to the throne room the hall was decorated with banners in blue and gold and there were two thrones standing on the dais. No one dared protest as Lotor and Sendak walked up and sat side by side, and Sendak smiled as he reached out to take Lotor’s hand.

  


_fin._

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked the fic, please comment ;)
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [barbitone](http://barbitone.tumblr.com/) and pillowfort also at [barbitone](https://www.pillowfort.io/barbitone)


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